Diabetes decisions — 2013

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a Board video conference hearing. Service connection will be determined based on the merits of his claims.

The Veteran's timely notice of disagreement with the July 2010 rating decision has been acknowledged, and his claims for service connection are now considered.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus has not required regulation of activities for treatment, and therefore does not warrant a higher disability evaluation.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to obtain the Veteran's VA medical records and Social Security Administration (SSA) file. The Veteran also needs a VA examination for his skin disorder, chest pain, diabetes mellitus, and depressive disorder with anxiety.

The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus as due to herbicide exposure, but denied service connection for a dental disability for compensation purposes due to lack of evidence of in-service trauma or disease resulting in current disabilities.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus was rated at 20 percent, effective May 31, 2006. Separate ratings of 10 percent were assigned for peripheral neuropathy in both lower extremities since August 17, 2012.

The Board found that the Veteran's diabetes mellitus type 2 was not related to service or his deviated septum, and denied all issues regarding secondary service connection. The heart disorder issue is pending as it has not been adjudicated yet.

The Board has granted service connection for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, right knee disorder, diabetes mellitus, and sleep apnea. Service connection for hypertension was not established.

The Veteran's type II diabetes mellitus was not incurred in or aggravated by service, nor may it be presumed to have been so incurred. The Board found no evidence of herbicide exposure during service and thus denied the claim based on direct service connection.

The Board found that the Veteran did not have diabetes mellitus, type II during service or within one year of separation. The evidence does not establish a link between current diabetes mellitus and service.

The Board denied service connection for kidney disease and the initial disability rating for type 2 diabetes mellitus, finding that there was no direct evidence linking these conditions to service or a service-connected condition.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus was rated at 40 percent effective from November 14, 2006.,Separate initial ratings of 20 percent were assigned for peripheral neuropathy of the right and left lower extremities, both effective from July 1, 2005.

The Board has found that the Veteran's diabetes mellitus and hypertension were not incurred in service, as there is no evidence of such conditions during his military service. The claims are therefore denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development regarding his exposure in the DMZ and verification of his presence there.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining SSA records and scheduling a VA examination to assess his employability due to service-connected disabilities. The claim of secondary service connection for anxiety reaction will also be considered.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for scheduling a new Travel Board hearing at the Philadelphia VA Regional Office.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for Type II diabetes mellitus and prostate cancer, both claimed as the result of herbicide exposure, to allow for additional development.

The Board found that the Veteran's diabetes mellitus has been manifested by requirements of insulin and restricted diet, but not regulation of activities. Therefore, a rating in excess of 20 percent is denied.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome was denied. The left eye laceration claim resulted in a grant of service connection, but the rating assigned is noncompensable. The diabetes mellitus, type II, claim resulted in a grant of service connection with an initial 20% evaluation.,The Veteran's residuals of a left eye laceration are manifested by a linear scar measuring 1.9 cm long and .2 cm wide, which does not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation under Diagnostic Code 7800.

The Board found that the Veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected condition, and thus denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death.