Diabetes decisions — 2011

The Board has determined that chronic diabetes mellitus originated during active service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board found that the Veteran does not suffer from diabetic retinopathy and denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to be related to his military service, specifically exposure to excessive noise. His claims for other conditions are denied as there is no evidence of current disability or a link to service.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection were denied.,Service connection was granted for depression with an effective date of March 11, 2004.

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain additional medical evidence and to provide the Veteran with VA examinations to determine if her current diabetes mellitus and bilateral foot tendinitis are related to her active duty service.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus, type II, is currently manifested by the required use of insulin and a restricted diet. However, there are no episodes of ketoacidosis or hypoglycemic reactions requiring hospitalizations or visits to a diabetic care provider, which would warrant a higher rating.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus is presumed to be related to herbicide exposure, but the claim requires further development to confirm his alleged Agent Orange exposure during service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including a VA eye examination to determine the current severity of his service-connected eye disability and whether he is unemployable due to his disabilities.

The Board found no evidence of the Veteran setting foot in Vietnam or being exposed to herbicides, and thus denied his claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus.

The Veteran's Type II diabetes mellitus was not incurred in or aggravated by his active military service, and may not be presumed to have been incurred in service due to lack of exposure to herbicide agents.

The Board has remanded the claims for further development due to concerns about the adequacy of the September 2009 VA examination and the applicability of presumptive service connection.

The Veteran is granted service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II, as it is presumed to be due to exposure to herbicide agents during his temporary duty assignment in the Republic of Vietnam.