Diabetes decisions — 2014

The Board found that the Veteran's diabetes mellitus did not manifest during service or within one year of separation, and it is not related to his service. The claim for secondary service connection for an eye disorder due to diabetes mellitus was also denied.

The Veteran's type 2 diabetes mellitus has been rated at 20 percent since August 18, 2010. The Board finds that the evidence does not support a higher rating as his diabetes requires insulin and restricted diet but no regulation of activities.

The Veteran's service connection claim for type II diabetes mellitus has been granted. The Board also found that the Veteran was exposed to herbicides in Korea, triggering the presumption of exposure and service connection.

The Board found no evidence of service connection for the claimed conditions, including diabetes mellitus, hypertension, end stage renal disease, diabetic retinopathy, and atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia with atrial flutter. The Veteran's claims were denied as there was insufficient evidence to establish a nexus between his current diagnoses and his military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a videoconference hearing. Service connection and rating issues are pending.

The Board has remanded the claims for further development, including obtaining additional medical records and arranging for VA examinations.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension as secondary to his service-connected Type II diabetes mellitus.

The Board found that the Veteran did not have service in Vietnam or its inland waterways, and thus could not be presumed to have been exposed to herbicides. The evidence does not show any exposure to Agent Orange during service. As a result, the claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus type II due to Agent Orange exposure is denied.

The Board has granted service connection for diabetic retinopathy, but denied service connection for vision impairment (other than diabetic retinopathy) as it is not related to service or a service-connected disability.

The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities, and an eye disorder (including diabetic retinopathy, retinal detachment, and constricted visual field) as due to service-connected diabetes mellitus.

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary before the claims can be fully adjudicated, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a VA examination for diabetes mellitus.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of May 9, 2006, for the award of special monthly compensation (SMC) based on loss of use of a creative organ is granted. The erectile dysfunction related to his type II diabetes mellitus was considered part of the service connection claim and thus meets the criteria for SMC.

The Veteran's service-connected peripheral neuropathy of the right and left upper extremities have been shown to be productive of intermittent symptoms, but not moderate incomplete paralysis.

The Board found that the effective date for the grant of service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II is December 28, 2009, as this was the date of receipt of the Veteran's petition to reopen his claim. The appeal regarding an earlier effective date prior to December 28, 2009, for the grant of service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II, is denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to inadequate VA examination and the need for additional medical opinions regarding his psychiatric, diabetes, neuropathy, hypertension, and scarring conditions.

The Board found that the Veteran's diabetes mellitus was not incurred or aggravated during his active duty service, and thus denied all secondary service connection claims.

The Board found that the Veteran's heart condition, diagnosed as idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy with congestive heart failure, was not incurred in or aggravated by service and is not attributable to his service-connected Type II Diabetes Mellitus (DM) or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

The Veteran's claims for service connection for acquired psychiatric disorder, diabetes mellitus due to herbicide exposure, and secondary service connection for various disabilities were denied. The Board found that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for presumptive service connection under VA regulations.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension secondary to PTSD. The Veteran's claims are being reviewed again due to new evidence.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development, including verification of the Veteran's periods of active duty for training and inactive duty training in the Naval Reserve.