Diabetes decisions — 2014

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and attempting to obtain private treatment records. The Veteran's claims of service connection for various conditions are inextricably intertwined with his claim for herpes zoster.

The Board has remanded the claim of entitlement to individual unemployability for further development, including a VA examination and an opinion regarding the combined effect of all service-connected disabilities on the Veteran's ability to obtain or maintain substantially gainful employment.

The Board has ordered a remand to obtain missing service treatment records from the Veteran's National Guard service and verify his periods of active duty training. The examiner will be asked to provide an addendum addressing whether the diabetes was aggravated by any verified period of ACDUTRA.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to verify the Veteran's claimed service in Vietnam and his exposure to herbicides. The appeal will be remanded for this purpose.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining additional VA treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to evaluate the Veteran's service-connected renal disability.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a videoconference hearing. Service connection for prostate cancer and diabetes mellitus, both presumed due to herbicide exposure, remains pending.

The Board has dismissed the appeal of service connection for diabetes mellitus as the appellant and his representative have withdrawn the issue.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded to determine if his service-connected disabilities, including lumbar spine and cervical spine conditions, diabetes mellitus, and compression fracture of T-7, preclude him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation. The claim will also be considered for extraschedular TDIU under 38 C.F.R. § 4.16(b).

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to missing service treatment records, VA treatment records, and Social Security Administration (SSA) records. The Veteran is also required to provide information about any other health care providers who have provided treatment for her claimed conditions.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied. The Board found that the Veteran did not have active duty of at least 90 days, and thus did not meet the threshold eligibility requirement for nonservice-connected pension benefits.

The Board has denied the appellant's request for an earlier effective date of March 10, 2009, for the grant of death pension benefits with an aid and attendance allowance. The decision states that no award of death pension benefits prior to March 10, 2009 existed, and thus the March 10, 2009, date of claim is the correct effective date.

The Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus is granted, and he is also granted service connection for back disorder, heart disorder, hypertension, erectile dysfunction, and peripheral neuropathy of the upper extremities as secondary to his diabetes mellitus. The exposure basis is Agent Orange.

The Veteran's claim for PTSD was denied as there is no current diagnosis of PTSD in accordance with the American Psychiatric Association Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, 4th ed., that is related to a verified stressor event.,The Veteran's claim for diabetes mellitus type II was denied as there is no competent evidence establishing that the condition is related to disease or injury or other event in active service. The first manifestation of diabetes mellitus type II occurred many years after service separation and it was not shown to be related to service.

The Board has granted service connection for lung cancer, coronary artery disease (heart attack), and Type II diabetes mellitus due to herbicide exposure during service in Vietnam.

The Veteran seeks a TDIU based on her service-connected disabilities. The RO denied the claim, attributing the inability to work to both service-connected and nonservice-connected conditions. The Board finds that another VA examination is necessary to determine the impact of the Veteran's service-connected disabilities on her ability to work.

The Board found no evidence of diabetes mellitus in service or within one year post-service, and thus denied the Veteran's claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's character of discharge does not constitute a bar to VA benefits. The Veteran served in Vietnam and was diagnosed with type II diabetes mellitus and PTSD with anxiety. Service connection is granted for these conditions.

The Veteran's cause of death was determined to be metastatic pancreatic cancer, which is service-connected due to his exposure to herbicides in Vietnam. The Board found that the diabetes mellitus did not contribute substantially or materially to the cause of death and granted service connection for the cause of death.

The Board found that the appellant's diabetes mellitus was not incurred in or aggravated by service, and denied his claim.