Diabetes decisions — 2012

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus and finds that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claim.,Service connection is granted for diabetes mellitus type II, as it is presumed due to in-service exposure to Agent Orange.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for headaches, hypertension, and an involuntary movement disorder were denied as there was no showing of continuity of symptomatology or a nexus to service. The Veteran's claimed acquired psychiatric disorder (PTSD) is not presumed due to herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, diabetes mellitus, irritable bowel syndrome, and erectile dysfunction, are not shown to be of such severity so as to preclude substantially gainful employment.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining updated VA medical records and providing a VA examination to determine if the Veteran's disabilities are caused by or complications of his diabetes mellitus. The appeal will be reconsidered after these actions.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is being remanded for additional development and adjudication of his service connection claims for major depressive disorder, hypertension, carotid artery constriction, and left leg and ankle disabilities. The case will be readjudicated after these issues are resolved.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus, defective vision, hypertension, peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, and erectile dysfunction due to herbicide exposure. The conditions were not found to be related to active duty service or presumed due to herbicide exposure.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, Type II Diabetes Mellitus, hypertension, peripheral neuropathy, arthritis, a bilateral knee disability, and a bilateral eye disability. The decision also addressed his claim for TDIU but did not specify its outcome.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining treatment records and providing an opinion on whether the Veteran's hypertension is related to service or his service-connected diabetes mellitus.

The Veteran's claims for service connection, increased ratings, and TDIU were denied. The Veteran was not granted service connection for squamous-cell carcinoma of the left foot due to lack of chronicity in service or continuity of symptoms post-service. Service connection for diabetes mellitus with hypertension and nephropathy, bilateral hearing loss, and PTSD were also denied.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus has been reopened due to the submission of new and material evidence. However, he is not entitled to an additional allowance for dependents as L.C., his purported spouse, was not legally divorced from him.,L.C. held herself out publicly as the Veteran's common law wife from approximately 1997 through 2006, but there has been no legal documentation confirming their divorce.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling VA examinations. The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and reopening of a claim are to be reconsidered.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded to obtain updated VA treatment records and to schedule him for a VA examination to determine the etiology of his erectile dysfunction and any lower extremity peripheral neuropathy.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling examinations. The Veteran is also advised that failure to appear for an examination could result in denial of his claim.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development to address his claims of increased evaluation for Type II diabetes mellitus and TDIU, as well as service connection for gastrointestinal disorder, kidney disorder, psychiatric disorder, peripheral neuropathy, hyperlipidemia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, and reopening of previously denied claims.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including diabetes mellitus type II and peripheral neuropathy, were denied as the evidence did not support a finding of service connection based on exposure to Agent Orange or other presumptive conditions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and a total rating based on unemployability due to service-connected disabilities. The appeals were not about service connection at all, but rather focused on evaluations of existing conditions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for coronary artery disease, chronic kidney disease, and diabetic retinopathy as secondary to diabetes mellitus. The appeal was not about service connection at all.

The Veteran's service connection claim for diabetes mellitus is granted due to presumed exposure to herbicides during his service in the Republic of Vietnam.

The Board has determined that the evidence is in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's diabetes mellitus is related to service or a service-connected disability, and thus grants the claim of service connection for diabetes mellitus.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for diabetes mellitus and peripheral neuropathy were denied. The criteria for higher ratings under the applicable diagnostic codes were not met.