Diabetes decisions — 2014

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for residuals of a traumatic brain injury was withdrawn by the appellant. The Board has determined that the Veteran is not unemployable due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and the case is dismissed.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of diabetes mellitus type II is denied as his April 1988 claim was received after the date entitlement arose, which is considered the later of the receipt of a claim or the date diabetes mellitus symptoms began.

The Board has determined that the Veteran did not file a claim for service connection for type II diabetes mellitus prior to January 25, 2010. Therefore, an effective date prior to this date is denied.

Service connection granted for residuals of facial trauma, including scars on the upper lip, right nasofold, and right cheek. The effective date is set at April 23, 2002.,The earlier effective date for a 40 percent evaluation for diabetes mellitus was established as April 23, 2002, based on evidence showing insulin use to treat the condition.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus, hypertension, peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities as secondary to his service-connected diabetes mellitus. The evidence did not support a finding of herbicide exposure during service.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and the Board is dismissing the case.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus, type II, was initially rated at 20 percent prior to March 8, 2008. From March 8, 2008 through June 27, 2012, the rating increased to 40 percent. Since June 28, 2012, a staged initial rating of 60 percent has been granted.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need to obtain additional private treatment records and provide an addendum opinion regarding the service connection for the Veteran's claimed conditions.

The Board has dismissed the appeal for service connection for memory loss due to withdrawal by the appellant's attorney. The claims of service connection for hypertension, low back strain with neurological damage, and TIAs, stroke, and seizure disorder have been reopened but are denied as there is no evidence linking these conditions to service or post-service treatment records indicate they began within one year following discharge from service. Service connection for DMII and glaucoma has also been denied due to lack of evidence showing their onset in service or a link to service.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 100% since the date of his claim, effective March 2012.,The Veteran's CAD and diabetes mellitus are both rated at 60% prior to January 17, 2012, and thereafter at 30%. The Veteran's peripheral neuropathy is rated at 20%, and tinnitus at 10%. Bilateral hearing loss has no compensable rating.,The Veteran was granted service connection for erectile dysfunction with SMC effective January 17, 2012. He also received service connection for sternotomy scar and coronary artery disease effective August 20, 2010.,Service connection is granted for B-cell Leukemia as due to herbicide exposure (Agent Orange). Service connection is denied for chlorance and soft tissue sarcoma.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for the issues of ischemic heart disease, diabetes mellitus, type II, and hypertension.

The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus as secondary to exposure to chemical dioxins. The remaining issues of increased evaluations and service connection are remanded due to the need for a VA examination.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of type II diabetes mellitus was denied as the evidence did not show that he met the criteria for service connection on May 8, 2001 when the liberalizing law adding diabetes to presumptive diseases took effect.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's diabetes mellitus and bilateral cataracts with glaucoma are not related to his military service, including exposure to herbicides or other environmental factors.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion and potential herbicide exposure.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim of service connection for diabetes mellitus, finding that there was no evidence of herbicide exposure and that diabetes did not manifest within one year of discharge. The Board also found that there is insufficient evidence to establish herbicide exposure.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to concerns about the Veteran's exposure to herbicides during his service in Korea. The Veteran served near the Korean DMZ but there is no evidence of herbicide use by his unit.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and determining whether the Veteran was exposed to asbestos during service. The appeal is currently in a pending status.

The Veteran's non-Hodgkin's lymphoma with residuals of lymphedema and recurrent cellulitis is rated at 40 percent, diabetic gastroparesis with diarrhea and dysphagia (also claimed as fecal incontinence) is rated at 20 percent, and erectile dysfunction is rated at 20 percent. The Veteran's conditions are currently evaluated based on their residuals.