Diabetes decisions — 2012

The Veteran's claim for service connection for Type II diabetes mellitus was received on March 30, 2004. The effective date of his award is set to the day following receipt of his original claim.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed psychiatric, knee, and unspecified joint disabilities are not related to his active service. The claims for these conditions have been denied.

The Veteran's service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the upper extremities was restored, and his rating for DM, Type II with hypertension and erectile dysfunction was maintained at 20 percent.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development, including consideration of service connection claims and TDIU eligibility. The case will be returned to the Board after these issues are adjudicated.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to verify the Veteran's exposure to herbicides, which may affect his claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus type II and peripheral neuropathy. The case will be remanded for this purpose.

The Board found no evidence of exposure to Agent Orange or any other herbicide in the Veteran's service records. The claims for diabetes mellitus, type II; lung cancer; prostate cancer; and hypertension were all denied as there is insufficient evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has determined that the diagnosis of type II diabetes mellitus on which service connection was predicated was clearly and unmistakably erroneous, thus denying restoration of service connection for this condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran did not have herbicide exposure during service, and therefore cannot establish presumptive service connection for diabetes mellitus. The claim is denied as there is no direct evidence linking the current condition to service.

The Veteran is granted SMC at the N rate due to having suffered loss of use of both legs and a separate service-connected disability (PTSD) rated as 100 percent disabling or more.

The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, finding no competent and credible evidence of exposure to Agent Orange or any other herbicide during service. The Veteran's claim was based on his assertion that he cleaned dirty vehicles in Okinawa, Japan, which were covered in Agent Orange.

The Board denied service connection for chronic inflammation affecting the entire body, diabetes mellitus, left elbow injury residuals, and obesity. The claims were adjudicated based on direct service connection.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus, type II, is currently evaluated at 60 percent and the Board finds that an increased rating beyond this level is not warranted. The Veteran does not have episodes of hypoglycemia requiring hospitalization or complications warranting a separate compensable evaluation.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected condition, and therefore denied the claim for service connection for the cause of his death.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has ordered the VA to make another attempt to obtain medical records from private doctors who treat the Veteran for diabetes. The case will be remanded and reviewed after these records are obtained.

The Veteran's service connection for diabetes mellitus due to Agent Orange exposure was granted, with a retroactive effective date of August 27, 2007. Service connection and initial ratings were also granted for other conditions including CAD, arthritis (unspecified), back disorder, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, hypertension, stomach disorder, and residuals of cold injury of the left hand.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus, hypertension, prostate cancer residuals, bilateral cataracts, and erectile dysfunction. The Veteran was not found to have been exposed to herbicides or other conditions that would trigger presumptive service connection.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied, as the evidence did not show that his current condition is related to military service. The initial evaluation of Type II diabetes mellitus from November 16, 2006 to January 21, 2009 was granted at a 10 percent rating.

The Board has scheduled a Travel Board hearing and is remanding the case for further action due to the Veteran's absence from his previously scheduled hearing.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions were denied as the evidence did not show a link between any of these conditions and his military service, including exposure to herbicides.