Diabetes decisions — 2014

The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus and is granting the Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for peripheral neuropathy of his upper and lower extremities. The appeal as to sleep apnea is being remanded due to insufficient evidence regarding its relationship with hypertension, kidney disease, or newly service-connected diabetes mellitus.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's type 2 diabetes mellitus and bilateral hearing loss are related to his service, with type 2 diabetes mellitus being presumed due to herbicide exposure in Vietnam. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is also considered presumptively related to noise exposure during service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus, residuals of a stroke, and visual impairment disability have been denied as there is no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board found no evidence of herbicide exposure in service and denied the Veteran's claims for diabetes mellitus, liver condition, hypertension, and kidney condition as they are not shown to have been incurred or aggravated by service.

The Veteran did not meet the criteria for DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318 as he was not rated as totally disabled for a continuous period of at least ten years immediately preceding his death.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for periodontal disease, claimed as gingivitis secondary to diabetes mellitus type II was dismissed due to withdrawal by the appellant. The effective date of TDIU is set at March 8, 2008.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including VA examinations to assess the severity of his service-connected disabilities.

The Board found that the Veteran's hypertension, residuals of a stroke, and diabetes mellitus are not due to service or any service-connected disability. The claims were denied.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and the case is dismissed.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to insufficient information provided by the Veteran regarding his herbicide exposure. The claim will be re-adjudicated after this development.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development regarding herbicide exposure and medical opinions.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination to assess his ability to secure or follow substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus type II is currently rated at 20 percent, and his peripheral neuropathy of the left upper extremity, left lower extremity, and right lower extremity are each rated at 10 percent. The Board finds that these ratings adequately reflect the severity of the disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional medical records and opinions related to his claims for service connection. The AOJ will also seek ships logs from the USS Okinawa, as they may pertain to the Veteran's claimed neck injury.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus is rated as 40 percent disabling, and his non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy in the right eye is considered part of the diabetic process. No other issues are addressed.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and hypertension have been denied as there is no evidence of such conditions in service or within the first postservice year. The presumptive provisions for herbicide exposure do not apply due to lack of evidence of Vietnam service.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus with erectile dysfunction is currently rated at 20 percent.,His claim for service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the upper extremities, secondary to diabetes has been reopened and granted.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus is presumed to be a result of herbicide exposure in Vietnam. The Board has granted service connection for this condition.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for thyroid disorder claimed as Graves' disease and remanded her claims of service connection for hysterectomy, diabetes mellitus, and arthritis in the hips and joints due to potential new evidence.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and verifying in-service stressors for PTSD.