Diabetes decisions — 2012

The Board has determined that the Veteran's diabetes mellitus type II and hypertension were not incurred or aggravated by his military service, and thus denied both claims.

The Board found that the termination of the Veteran's VA nonservice-connected pension benefits effective May [redacted], 2008, was proper due to his incarceration in a state prison.

The Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation based on the loss of use of a kidney is denied as there is no provision in VA laws and regulations that grants such benefit.

The Board found that the Veteran did not serve in Vietnam and there is no evidence linking his diabetes to service or herbicide exposure. The claim for service connection was denied.

The RO granted service connection for diabetes mellitus due to exposure to Agent Orange, but later proposed and ultimately severed this connection based on fraud in the submitted DD Form 214.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the failure to schedule a decision review officer (DRO) hearing. The case will be returned for scheduling a DRO or Board hearing as requested by the appellant.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current diagnosis of diabetes mellitus, type II is presumed to have been incurred in service due to herbicide exposure during his Vietnam service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hypertension and neuropathy of the right and left upper extremities are not related to his service-connected diabetes mellitus.

The Veteran's claim for reimbursement of unauthorized medical expenses is being remanded due to the need for further development, including an opinion from a VA physician regarding whether his non-service-connected coronary artery disease was associated with and aggravated by his service-connected diabetes mellitus.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's diabetes mellitus is not related to his service, specifically due to a lack of exposure to Agent Orange during his military service in Thailand. As such, the claim for secondary service connection based on Agent Orange exposure is denied.

The Board denied a rating in excess of 20 percent for diabetes mellitus and its complications, finding that the Veteran's disease was managed with diet and medication without requiring regulation of activities due to diabetes.

The Veteran's claims are being remanded for a comprehensive VA internal medicine examination to determine if his current diabetes mellitus had causal origins in active service and whether any other conditions, such as peripheral neuropathy, renal disease, hypertension, and erectile dysfunction, were caused or aggravated by the diabetes.

The Board has granted service connection for erectile dysfunction and hypertension as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus, type II.

The Board has determined that further development is required in order to adjudicate the Veteran's claims for service connection for right ear hearing loss and diabetes mellitus. This includes scheduling VA examinations, obtaining additional records, and determining if the Veteran currently has these conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus is currently rated at 20 percent, and the Board finds that it does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Board granted service connection for diabetes mellitus, type 2 on the basis of new and material evidence submitted by the Veteran. The claim was reopened due to the submission of evidence that raised a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities is proximately due to or the result of his service-connected diabetes mellitus.

The Board denied service connection for the claimed conditions, finding that they were not related to military service or herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to determine the etiology of his diabetes mellitus and whether it is caused or aggravated by his service-connected PTSD. The case will be reviewed again after this development.

The Board found no evidence of herbicide exposure in the Veteran's service records and concluded that his diabetes mellitus was not incurred in or aggravated by active duty service, nor may it be presumed to have been incurred in service.