Diabetes decisions — 2012

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have diabetes mellitus and therefore, service connection cannot be granted.

The Veteran seeks a certificate of eligibility for assistance in acquiring specially adapted housing due to his service-connected disabilities. The case is remanded as the current evidence does not adequately address whether his service-connected disabilities alone preclude locomotion and require the use of a wheelchair or other ambulatory assistance.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus type II was not incurred or aggravated during his military service and is not presumed to be due to herbicide exposure. The Board finds that the evidence does not support a link between the Veteran's current condition and his active duty.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for the cause of his death, finding that there was no evidence to support a direct relationship between his service-connected PTSD and the development of colon cancer or pancreatic cancer. The Board also found that diabetes mellitus did not have a presumptive link to service.

The Board has ordered a remand to obtain clarification of the VA medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran had ischemic heart disease, and to clarify whether his service-connected disabilities contributed to his death. The case will be returned for further adjudication.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the percentage requirements for a TDIU, as his combined rating is 90 percent and does not include one disability rated at least 40 percent. The Board finds that he can still obtain and retain substantially gainful employment.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence to support the claim that the Veteran's service-connected PTSD caused or contributed substantially to his death from multisystem organ failure. The appellant's lay assertions are not competent medical evidence.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for a certificate of eligibility for the purchase of an automobile and adaptive equipment, or adaptive equipment only.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for traumatic cataract, diabetes mellitus type II, hypertension, and a tumor in the stomach region. The denial is based on the finality of previous decisions denying these claims.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus type II and associated diabetic retinopathy with neuropathy of the left fingers are currently rated as 20 percent disabling. Separate ratings for peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity (left foot) and right lower extremity (right foot) have been granted.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for entitlement to service connection for diabetes mellitus with headaches, impaired vision and boils, including as secondary to service-connected coronary artery disease status post coronary artery bypass graft and entitlement to an initial evaluation in excess of 50 percent for peripheral vascular disease, both lower extremities, for the period August 5, 1985 to January 12, 1998.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome and denied increased ratings for peripheral neuropathy of the right and left upper extremities. The Veteran's conditions are currently rated as follows: loss of use of both feet (100%), coronary artery disease (60%), PTSD (50%), arthritis of the lumbar spine (40%), peripheral neuropathy of the right upper extremity (30%), peripheral neuropathy of the left upper extremity (20%), diabetes mellitus, type 2 (20%), compression of the L5 nerve root with numbness in the left foot (10%), and erectile dysfunction (noncompensable).

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining his service personnel records, Social Security Administration records, and post-May 2010 VA treatment records. The hearing request remains pending.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for diabetes mellitus type II. The Board has determined that additional evidence is needed, including obtaining in-service medical records and scheduling the Veteran for a VA examination to determine the nature, extent, and etiology of his diabetes mellitus.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional medical records and examinations. The claim will be reviewed after these are obtained.

The Board has remanded the case for a VA examination to determine whether hypertension is proximately due to or the result of service-connected diabetes mellitus Type II, and if not, whether it was aggravated by diabetes mellitus.

The Board found that the Veteran's claimed conditions did not manifest during or as a result of active military service, and therefore denied all claims for service connection.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus and an extraschedular rating for residuals of septoplasty and Caldwell-Luc procedures with right maxillary sinusitis as there is no competent evidence linking these conditions to service or a service-connected disability.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for astigmatism has been withdrawn.,There is no evidence of any residuals from the in-service head trauma, other than headaches. The Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy.,The Veteran currently has dermatitis affecting less than 5% of his total body and exposed surface area with intermittent itchy areas on the forehead and temples. He is assigned an initial compensable rating for this condition.,Prostatic hypertrophy is currently asymptomatic, but the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of prostatic hypertrophy.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for updated medical records and a VA examination, as well as the need to issue a statement of the case on service connection issues.