Diabetes decisions — 2015

The case is being remanded for further development regarding the Veteran's service connection claims, including a determination of whether his unit supported the 2nd and 7th Infantry Division near the DMZ in Korea.

The Board is remanding the DIC issue for issuance of an SOC, as there was no effective substantive appeal of the DIC denial before the Board.,The character of service issue remains in its current status.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including a VA examination to assess the severity of his diabetes mellitus and a Social and Industrial Survey to determine if he can secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran was exposed to herbicides during service and therefore meets the presumptive exposure criteria for type II diabetes mellitus and Parkinson's disease. The claims are granted.

The Board found that the Veteran's diabetes mellitus did not have its onset in service and is not related to any incident of service origin. The evidence does not show herbicide exposure, thus denying service connection for diabetes mellitus.

The Veteran was granted TDIU as of November 1, 2009, due to his service-connected disabilities preventing him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II, is granted. The claims to reopen the issues of entitlement to service connection for a disability manifested by chronic cough and cold, low back pain, skin rash, and right knee disability are also granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran did not have herbicide exposure in Vietnam or any other country, and therefore cannot establish service connection for his claimed conditions based on herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to schedule an informal conference with a Decision Review Officer (DRO) for the issue of earlier effective date for TDIU. Additionally, the case must be readjudicated as to the issue of higher initial rating for type II diabetes mellitus.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to missing records and a need to obtain Social Security Administration disability benefits records.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for higher ratings or service connection in all cases.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, erectile dysfunction, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and bilateral hand disorder have all been denied. Service connection has been granted for diabetes mellitus with initial ratings of 20%.

The Veteran's initial increased rating claim for diabetes mellitus was denied as the disability does not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation under VA's Schedule for Rating Disabilities.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for type II diabetes mellitus, which he claims was caused by exposure to herbicides during his military service. The VA needs to verify the Veteran's alleged service in Vietnam and/or Thailand, as well as confirm any potential exposure to herbicides.

The Board found no evidence of herbicide exposure in Vietnam and denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, bilateral upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, and bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy as secondary to the Veteran's diabetes.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for a gastrointestinal disorder, to include GERD and/or ulcerative colitis, to include as secondary to herbicide exposure, and an initial rating in excess of 20 percent for type II diabetes mellitus.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for type II diabetes mellitus, finding no evidence of a pre-existing condition and no increase in severity during service.

The case is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and arranging for a VA examination to assess the Veteran's current disability picture in relation to his claims on appeal.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA medical records and scheduling a VA examination. The claims for service connection for PTSD, diabetes mellitus type II, and sleep disorder are all pending.