Diabetes decisions — 2013

The Board found no evidence of Agent Orange exposure and thus could not establish service connection for the Veteran's claimed conditions based on herbicide exposure. The claims were denied.

The Veteran's claims for diabetes, nephropathy with voiding dysfunction, neuropathy of the lower and upper extremities, retinopathy, erectile dysfunction, hypertension, and coronary artery disease are all denied as there is no evidence of in-service exposure to herbicides or other service connection criteria met.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for eye disability, bronchitis, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus due to lack of evidence supporting these claims. The Veteran was granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss but the status of his tinnitus claim is unknown.

The Board denied service connection for the claimed conditions as a result of herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's unauthorized medical expenses incurred on May 11, 2010 were reimbursed as the emergency treatment was necessary due to a serious threat to his health and delay in seeking immediate care would have been hazardous.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's heart disorder and diabetes mellitus, type II are related to his service in Vietnam due to exposure to Agent Orange. The conditions have been granted as presumptively connected.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus, Parkinson's disease, essential tremors, and a pulmonary disorder due to lack of evidence showing exposure to herbicide agents during service.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining service treatment records and VA examination opinions. The Veteran's claims for diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and heart disorder are still pending.

The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus as it did not meet the criteria for direct, presumptive (due to herbicide exposure), or secondary service connection.

The Veteran's claim for non-service-connected disability pension benefits was granted effective June 15, 2006. The Board found that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for an earlier effective date due to his employment status and medical conditions.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for the issues of hypertension, renal dysfunction, bilateral hearing loss disability, sleep apnea, hypoxia, hypersomnia, diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy of the upper extremities and peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities prior to the Board's decision.

The Veteran seeks service connection for type 2 diabetes mellitus, which the Board has remanded due to a lack of evidence regarding herbicide exposure in Korea. The claim is being remanded for further development including verification of any possible exposure.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's diabetes mellitus type II is presumed to have been incurred in active military service due to herbicide exposure, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Board found that the Veteran's diabetes mellitus was not incurred or aggravated by service, as there is no evidence of herbicide exposure and the disease did not manifest within one year of separation from service.

The Board found that the Veteran's service connection claim for type 2 diabetes mellitus was denied because there is no credible evidence of herbicide exposure during his service on the USS Waldron, and thus he cannot be presumed to have been exposed. Additionally, there is no in-service diagnosis or treatment related to type 2 diabetes mellitus.

The Veteran's service-connected coronary artery disease requiring coronary artery bypass grafting is found to have aggravated his left cutaneous saphenous nerve dysfunction, which in turn caused a neurologic disability of the left leg. Service connection for this condition is granted.

The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II, to include as due to herbicide exposure. The Veteran is presumed to have been exposed to herbicides during his service in Thailand and thus meets the criteria for presumptive service connection.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn prior to the Board making a decision.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been presented to reopen the claim of service connection for diabetes mellitus, which was previously denied in July 2006. As a result, the claim remains denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to assess the combined impact of his service-connected disabilities on his employability.