Diabetes decisions — 2013

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed as the appellant (Veteran) withdrew his appeal prior to a decision being made by the Board.

The Veteran's cause of death was determined to be COPD, which is not service-connected. The Board found no evidence linking the Veteran's diabetes or other conditions to his military service.

The Board found that the Veteran did not have service connection for any of his claimed conditions, and thus denied all claims based on direct service connection. The appellant's death was attributed to other causes.

The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II, finding that it was incurred in active military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, finding that his diabetes did not manifest within one year of separation from service and was not related to herbicide exposure during service.

The Board found that the Veteran did not have service in Vietnam and therefore could not establish presumptive service connection for diabetes mellitus due to herbicide exposure. The VA examiner concluded that the Veteran's diabetes mellitus is less likely than not incurred during active duty.

The Veteran requested to withdraw his appeal for service connection of vision loss disability, including diabetic retinopathy secondary to diabetes mellitus. The Board has dismissed the appeal.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed as he withdrew his claims in a written statement.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus, left knee disorder, lower back disorder (claimed as due to a left knee disorder), and PTSD was granted. The effective date of the 100% disability rating for PTSD is October 23, 1998.

The Veteran's appeal for a separate compensable disability rating for erectile dysfunction was withdrawn. The Veteran is granted entitlement to specially adapted housing due to his service-connected disabilities, but the grant of special home adaptation is dismissed as it conflicts with the eligibility criteria.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to care for daily personal needs without regular assistance from others or to protect himself from the hazards and dangers of his daily environment, warranting special monthly compensation based on the need for the aid and attendance of another person.

The Board has granted service connection for diabetic retinopathy as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus. However, no other eye disability is found to be related to service.

The Board found that the Veteran's diabetes mellitus was not incurred in or aggravated by service and denied his claim. For sinusitis, the Board agreed with the VA examiner's opinion that the disability is less likely related to service and denied a higher rating.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, is denied. The Board finds that there is no current diagnosis of a psychiatric disorder and the Veteran has not provided credible evidence of an in-service stressor resulting in such a disability. However, the Veteran was granted TDIU based on his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss, asbestos lung disease, and diabetes mellitus were denied. The RO assigned initial non-compensable evaluations for the first two conditions from September 11, 2009, and a 30 percent evaluation for asbestos lung disease effective September 11, 2009.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and the claims of entitlement to increased ratings for PTSD with depression and diabetes mellitus have been dismissed.

The Board has ordered a remand for further development, including obtaining additional VA treatment records and providing opinions regarding the Veteran's service-connected disabilities and their impact on his employability. The case will also be referred to VA's Director of Compensation and Pension for consideration of entitlement to a TDIU under 38 C.F.R. § 4.16(b).

The Veteran died from arteriosclerotic or atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease due to obesity. Service connection was established for PTSD and diabetes mellitus, but no ischemic heart disease was found at the time of death.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's diabetes mellitus was not incurred or aggravated during service and is not related to his military service. As a result, the claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus is denied.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus and peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities have not been granted initial evaluations in excess of 20 percent.