Diabetes decisions — 2013

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied. The Board found no evidence to support the claimed conditions and determined that they are not related to service or service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's Type II Diabetes Mellitus was not incurred in or aggravated by his military service and may not be presumed to have been, including on the premise that it is the result of exposure to Agent Orange in or around Vietnam.

The Board has determined that there is no current diagnosis of diabetes mellitus in the Veteran's medical records, and therefore service connection for this condition cannot be established.

The Board found no evidence that the amputations were caused by VA carelessness, negligence, or lack of proper skill. The Veteran's conditions and surgeries were not related to any VA treatment.

The Veteran's right-sided radiculopathy is rated at 20 percent since July 26, 2004. The Board granted an increased rating for the disability from that date.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a separate rating for diabetic nephropathy, finding that there is no evidence of active renal dysfunction associated with her diabetes.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for type II diabetes mellitus and neuropathy of the feet, finding no evidence of exposure to Agent Orange or other herbicides in Guam. The Veteran was not granted presumptive service connection.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the issue of entitlement to service connection for hypertension.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and coronary artery disease (CAD), finding that his hypertension was not proximately due to or aggravated by his service-connected diabetes mellitus or coronary artery disease.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's appeal for a second addendum from the examiner to address whether his service-connected panic disorder with agoraphobia and generalized anxiety disorder caused or aggravated his claimed conditions, diabetes mellitus and kidney disease.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed as he withdrew his claim prior to the Board making a decision.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension and a kidney disorder, as well as his requests for increased ratings for various disabilities, were denied. The Veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability prior to January 29, 2010.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for various conditions, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes mellitus, cataracts, depression, hypertension, impotency, and vascular disease. The evidence did not establish a direct link between these conditions and service.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for diabetes mellitus and chondromalacia patella of the left knee were denied, as his conditions did not meet the criteria for higher disability ratings under VA rating criteria. The claim for TDIU was also denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension and a higher rating for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. The hypertension claim was denied as not due to disease or injury incurred in or aggravated by his active military service, may not be presumed to have been incurred in service, and it is not proximately due to, the result of, or aggravated by his service-connected Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. The Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus claim was also denied as the criteria were not met for a higher rating.

The Veteran's service-connected diabetic neuropathy of the left and right lower extremities has been rated at 20 percent since July 13, 2009. The TDIU claim is also granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hypertension did not begin in service and is not related to his diabetes mellitus, thus denying service connection for hypertension.

The Board has ordered additional development of the appellant's DIC claim and claims for accrued benefits due to her husband's service-connected disabilities. The case is being remanded to obtain private treatment records from University Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio, and to adjudicate the issues of service connection for residuals of low back, neck, and right leg injury for accrued benefits.

The Board found no evidence of a seizure disorder, diabetes mellitus, or hypertension in service and denied the claims for these conditions as they are not related to service. The claim for liver disorder was also denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for various conditions, finding that new and material evidence had not been received to reopen his diabetes mellitus claim. The other claims were also denied.