Diabetes decisions — 2013

The Veteran was granted service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II due to exposure to Agent Orange and his bilateral hearing loss. However, he did not receive an initial compensable evaluation for his hearing loss.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine if the appellant was exposed to Agent Orange during his service in Vietnam, and whether he can establish service connection for his claimed conditions based on such exposure. The VA will conduct this development and then readjudicate the claims.

The Board has determined that the Veteran is not entitled to an effective date prior to July 2, 2007 for the grant of service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II, with erectile dysfunction and hypertension. The claim was received on July 2, 2007, which is later than when he would have been eligible based on his Vietnam-era exposure to herbicides.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional medical examinations and for further development of the claims.

The Board has ordered additional development to address whether the Veteran's hypertension is aggravated by his service-connected diabetes mellitus, type II. The case will be remanded for an addendum opinion from a VA examiner.

The Board found no evidence of diabetes mellitus in service or within one year post-service, and there is insufficient credible medical evidence to establish a connection between the Veteran's current condition and his military service. The claim for service connection was therefore denied.

The Board has remanded the claims for further development and readjudication due to issues being intertwined, including a psychiatric disorder claim that was not previously adjudicated. The Veteran's heart disorder, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus type II are all potentially related to his PTSD.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus type II is granted. However, his claims for a disability associated with right bundle branch block and chest pain are denied as he does not have a current disability.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been denied. The Board found no evidence of a current disability related to his military service, including by way of a service-connected condition.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, diabetes mellitus, right ankle scars, capsulitis of the right ankle, low back strain and hepatitis C, do not meet the criteria for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to their combined effect.

The Board has granted service connection for erectile dysfunction as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus. The other issues on appeal are addressed in the remand portion of this decision.

The Veteran's initial claim for an increased rating for diabetes mellitus with early nephropathy and hypertension was denied. The reduction from 100 percent to 20 percent for residuals of prostate cancer, status post radical prostatectomy, was upheld.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining updated medical records and arranging for a VA examination.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus is presumed to have been incurred in service due to exposure to herbicides. The Board grants the claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus type II. Graves' disease is not one of the presumptive diseases, but the Veteran's claim will be adjudicated based on all three elements required for a service connection claim.

The Board found no evidence of diabetes mellitus, type II or leukemia in service and denied both claims.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's diabetes mellitus is not service connected due to lack of in-service exposure and no evidence of continuity of symptomatology. The claims for hypertension and urinary disorder as secondary to diabetes mellitus are also denied.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for type II diabetes mellitus, claimed as due to herbicide exposure, has been granted. The issue of entitlement to a compensable initial rating for bilateral hearing loss is remanded.

The Board denied the claim of entitlement to service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his death was not proximately due to or the result of a service-connected disability.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's diabetes mellitus. The Veteran is also scheduled for a videoconference hearing regarding his claim of entitlement to service connection for chronic pneumonia with scar tissue on the lungs.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus was incurred in service and is currently being treated. The VA examiner found that the left shoulder bursitis warrants a 10% disability rating.