Diabetes decisions — 2013

The Veteran's type II diabetes mellitus is presumed to have been incurred in service due to herbicide exposure. The Board has granted the claim for service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have been shown to prevent him from securing and following substantially gainful employment, warranting a total disability rating based on individual unemployability.

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

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for diabetes mellitus, hypertension, a bilateral eye disorder, a sleep disorder (claimed as sleep apnea), and bilateral hearing loss. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred or aggravated by military service.

The Board found that diabetes mellitus was not incurred in or aggravated by service, nor may service incurrence be presumed due to exposure to Agent Orange. The Veteran's presence in Vietnam did not meet the criteria for presumptive exposure.

The Board finds that the Veteran's bilateral cataracts are not related to service or his service-connected diabetes, and thus denies the claim for service connection. The issue of an initial compensable evaluation for hypertension is also denied.

The Veteran's claim for TDIU is being remanded due to changes in his disability picture and the need for additional examination.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's diabetes mellitus, type 2, was not incurred or aggravated during service and is unrelated to any in-service event. As a result, the claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus, type 2, is denied.

The Board has ordered a remand to obtain additional medical opinions regarding the relationship between the Veteran's hypertension and his service-connected diabetes mellitus, type II. The case will be reconsidered after these opinions are obtained.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus was not incurred or aggravated during his military service, and the Board finds that there is no evidence to support a finding of service connection.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for asthma, peripheral neuropathy, joint disease of the hands and knees, and diabetes mellitus type II as secondary to exposure to asbestos. The Veteran was not exposed to herbicides or other Agent Orange compounds during his military service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including diabetes mellitus, arthritis of the back and shoulders, HIV, hypertension, vision loss, gonorrhea, and a gunshot wound to the upper back, were denied as there was no evidence of in-service disease or injury, no credible exposure to herbicides during service, and no medical opinion linking any current disability to service.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus, type II, requires insulin and a restricted diet but does not require regulation of activities or hospitalizations. The Board found the evidence did not support a higher rating than 20 percent.

The Veteran's prostate cancer, rated as 40 percent disabling since February 1, 2008, is not entitled to a higher rating. The Board found that the predominant residual of his service-connected disability was voiding dysfunction, which does not warrant an increased rating beyond 40 percent. For the period beginning March 14, 2013, the Veteran meets the schedular criteria for TDIU under 38 C.F.R. § 4.16(a).

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been denied as the evidence does not support a finding of service connection for any of the conditions listed, and the Veteran has not submitted new and material evidence to reopen his claim for diabetic retinopathy.

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

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and the case is dismissed.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals regarding the increased ratings for diabetes mellitus, type II; peripheral neuropathy of the right and left lower extremities; and bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus type II is found to be related to his military service, specifically his exposure to herbicides in Thailand and Vietnam during the Vietnam era.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 20 percent for diabetes mellitus, type II was denied as his condition did not require regulation of activities and had not resulted in episodes of ketoacidosis or hypoglycemic reactions requiring hospitalizations.