Diabetes decisions — 2014

The Veteran's claim for service connection for type II diabetes is being remanded due to the need for additional development regarding his claimed exposure to herbicides during service in Vietnam and/or Thailand.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining updated medical records and scheduling the Veteran for VA examinations to assess his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for type II diabetes mellitus with secondary hypertension and stroke, to include as secondary to in-service herbicide exposure, is denied. The Board found no evidence of herbicide exposure or a link between the current disability and active service.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to properly adjudicate the Veteran's claims, including obtaining medical opinions and records.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for low back disability, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus have been denied as there is no competent evidence of an in-service injury or disease, and the current disabilities are not shown to be related to his period of active military service.

The Veteran was granted a TDIU effective September 27, 2005, due to his service-connected disabilities including PTSD and diabetes mellitus.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for consideration of the old criteria (in effect prior to December 10, 2008) and for an addendum VA opinion providing numerical interpretation of the visual field test results.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including a VA examination and a memorandum from a vocational rehabilitation specialist to determine if he is unemployable due to service-connected disabilities. The claim will be referred to the Director of Compensation and Pension Service for consideration of whether TDIU is warranted.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for hypertension as secondary to his service-connected coronary artery disease and diabetes mellitus, type II. The case has been remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding the relationship between these conditions.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II, hypertension, and migraine headaches have been withdrawn. The appeal of the claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for lumbar strain is being remanded.

The Veteran's claims for an earlier effective date and service connection were denied as the earliest effective date allowed by law is August 13, 2010.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his death. The Board cannot proceed with the merits of this case as he is no longer alive.

The Veteran is service connected for several disabilities, including PTSD and diabetes mellitus type II with erectile dysfunction. The Board finds it at least as likely as not that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to obtain or maintain substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him incapable of obtaining or maintaining employment that could be considered substantially gainful from February 26, 2008 to April 27, 2010.

The Board has remanded the case to the AOJ for further development, including obtaining service records from the Veteran's Naval Reserve service and obtaining VA medical records. The Veteran is also scheduled for examinations to assess his current diabetes mellitus severity.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus type 2 associated with herbicide exposure was granted on an accrued basis, while the claim for glioblastoma was denied. The Veteran's PTSD claim resulted in a grant of an increased rating.,The Veteran had early manifestations of diabetes prior to his cancer diagnosis and is presumed exposed to herbicides due to service in Vietnam.

The Board finds that the Veteran's diabetes mellitus is at least as likely as not to have had its initial onset within one year of his September 1992 discharge from active service, and grants service connection for this condition on a presumptive basis.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development regarding his exposure to radiation during service.

The Veteran's claim for a total rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) is being remanded due to the need for further examination and development of his service-connected disabilities, including PTSD and nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy with cataracts.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus and diabetic retinopathy, but denied all other issues on appeal. The Veteran is not shown to have a current diagnosis of peripheral neuropathy or incontinence.