Diabetes decisions — 2012

The Board found that diabetes mellitus was not incurred in or aggravated by active service and is not secondary to a service-connected disability.

The Board found that the Veteran's service-connected conditions, including PTSD and diabetes mellitus, did not cause or contribute substantially to his death from aortic stenosis.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current heart disability and finds no direct service connection is warranted for his claimed heart condition.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection were denied as the disabilities were already considered in prior decisions and final ratings.

The Board found no evidence of in-service injury or disease related to the claimed conditions, and thus denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, heart disorder, hypertension, and erectile dysfunction.

The Veteran's PTSD is found to be incurred on or aggravated during active service, and his DM is considered a direct result of the Veteran's service. The Board has granted service connection for both conditions.

The Board has found that new and material evidence sufficient to reopen the previously denied claim of service connection for diabetes mellitus has been received. The Veteran's claim is now reopened, but the merits of the claim are not addressed in this decision.

The Board has determined that the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death is REMANDED due to insufficient evidence. The case will be returned to the RO for further development and readjudication.

The Board found that the Veteran's diabetes mellitus type II did not manifest within one year of his discharge from service and was not shown to be causally or etiologically related to any disease, injury, or incident in service. As a result, it could not be presumed to have been incurred in or aggravated by service due to herbicide exposure.

The Board has granted service connection for dysthymia, but denied service connection for ischemic heart disease and diabetes mellitus, type II. The Veteran's dysthymia is related to his active duty service.

The Veteran's diabetes was not incurred in or aggravated by his military service, and may not be presumed to have been incurred due to exposure to herbicides (Agent Orange) during his time in Thailand. The Board found no credible evidence supporting a link between the Veteran's diabetes and his military service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus type II, including secondary to in-service exposure to herbicides, was denied as there is no evidence of herbicide exposure and the condition did not develop until after discharge.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including a VA examination to clarify if the Veteran's current diagnosis of hypertension is at least as likely as not due to or aggravated by his service-connected diabetes mellitus.

The Veteran's death was caused by decompensated liver disease and respiratory failure. The appellant seeks service connection for the cause of his death, contending that his adenocarcinoma of the prostate contributed to his fatal hepatocellular cancer.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date earlier than November 15, 2004 for service connection for diabetes was denied. The Board found that the earliest allowable effective date under applicable criteria is November 15, 2004.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for a VA examination to assess the combined effect of his service-connected disabilities on his ability to engage in substantially gainful employment. The issue will be reviewed again after this development.

The RO proposed to reduce the Veteran's rating for prostate cancer from 100% to 40%, but maintained his SMC at housebound rate. The decision on service connection for diabetes mellitus was granted with an earlier effective date.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a VA examination assessing the combined impact of his service-connected disabilities on his employability.

The Veteran's cause of death was due to COPD and other conditions, but his service-connected disabilities did not contribute substantially or materially to his death. The claim for DIC under 38 U.S.C. § 1318 is also denied.

The Veteran's service connection claims for chronic sarcoidosis and Type II diabetes mellitus are both granted.