Diabetes decisions — 2014

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus type II was not incurred in or aggravated by his active duty military service and may not be presumed to have been incurred in or aggravated by such service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetic retinopathy is denied as the condition has not been shown during the pendency of this appeal.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his claims, including obtaining private medical records and VA treatment records.

The Veteran's claims have been granted, but the specific disability ratings and effective dates are not provided in this decision.

The Board has determined that the evidence is in relative equipoise as to whether the Veteran's service-connected PTSD substantially contributed to his death, and thus grants service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a diagnosis of diabetes mellitus or glucose intolerance, and therefore service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Veteran's death was caused by congestive heart failure, which is not service-connected. The service-connected varicose veins did not contribute to the cause of death.

The Veteran is seeking TDIU based on his service-connected disabilities, but the case has been remanded for further examination and assessment of his employability.

The Veteran's death did not result in any accrued benefits due to the appellant as he was an adult child and not within the class of designated survivors eligible for such payments.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for diabetes mellitus, hypertension, arthritis of hands and knees, and low back disorder. The evidence did not establish direct service connection as there was no in-service diagnosis or continuity of symptoms after discharge.

The Board finds that the Veteran does not have a current disability of type II diabetes mellitus or bilateral hearing loss due to service. The evidence is against a finding of in-service disease or injury resulting in these disabilities.

The Board found that there was no evidence of diabetes mellitus or ischemic heart disease in service, and the Veteran did not meet the criteria for presumptive service connection due to exposure to herbicides. The right knee arthritis is considered secondary to a service-connected left knee disability.

The Board found that the Veteran's terminal colon cancer was not caused or contributed substantially to his death by any service-connected disability, including those presumed due to Agent Orange exposure in Vietnam.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus is currently rated at 20 percent, the minimum rating available under VA regulations. The evidence does not support a higher evaluation.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to inconsistencies in the Veteran's service record regarding his alleged exposure to herbicides during service.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for diabetes mellitus and diabetic neuropathy of the lower extremities have been denied. The evidence does not support a finding that the Veteran's conditions warrant higher ratings under applicable rating criteria.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling VA examinations to assess the severity of his service-connected disabilities. The intertwined issue of diabetes mellitus may affect the outcome of peripheral neuropathy.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to a scheduling issue for his travel board hearing. The issues of entitlement to service connection for peripheral vascular disease of the right lower extremity and diabetic retinopathy are still under review.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to conflicting medical evidence regarding his diagnoses and the need for further examination.

The Board found that the Veteran's diabetes mellitus, type II, is not related to service and denied reopening his claim for service connection.