Diabetes decisions — 2016

The Veteran's appeal was denied for various issues including service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and a dental condition as secondary to diabetes mellitus. The claim for reopening of the knee disability was also denied.

The Board has found that the Veteran's diabetes mellitus was not incurred or aggravated during his active duty service, and thus denied this claim. The issue of entitlement to service connection for a left shoulder disability is being remanded due to outstanding medical records.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus type II, hypertension, and high cholesterol are all service-connected as a result of herbicide exposure in Vietnam.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus is presumed to have been incurred in service. The Board finds that the Veteran has current peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities related to his service-connected diabetes mellitus, but there is no evidence of a right knee disability due to service.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II and basal cell carcinoma of the left shoulder. Service connection is granted for both conditions as due to herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for yeast infection, diverticulitis, colon polyps, blood in the urine, type II diabetes mellitus, and Graves' disease were denied as there is no current diagnosis of any of these conditions.

The Board found that the Veteran's diabetes mellitus was not incurred in or aggravated by service and may not be presumed to have been incurred therein. The claim for secondary service connection based on psychiatric medication use was also denied.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including prostate cancer, PTSD, and peripheral neuropathy, render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.

The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus and a heart disorder, finding that the conditions did not manifest within one year of discharge from active duty and were not caused or aggravated by any aspect of active service.

The Board has determined that further development is needed in order to properly adjudicate the Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, sleep apnea, and diabetes mellitus, type II. The case will be remanded for a VA examination and medical opinion.

The Veteran died from cardiopulmonary arrest due to cancer, with diabetes and hypertension as significant contributing factors. Service connection was not established for any condition.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for diabetes mellitus type II and related bilateral hand and foot numbness, claiming these conditions are secondary to his herbicide exposure during active duty. The Board has ordered additional development of the record.

The Veteran's service connection claims for ischemic heart disease and diabetes mellitus, type II are granted based on exposure to herbicides during active duty.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for tinnitus is granted. The Board finds that the weight of the competent evidence of record is at least in equipoise as to whether the Veteran has tinnitus as a result of his active military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to his request for a Board videoconference hearing. The issues of service connection for various conditions remain unresolved.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a skin disorder, chest pain, and diabetes mellitus. The reasons include that there is no evidence of any current skin condition or heart problem during service, and the VA examiner found no link between the Veteran's current dermatitis and his in-service acne. For chest pain, the Board could not determine if it was related to depression due to lack of medical records from a hospitalization. For diabetes mellitus, there were conflicting opinions regarding its relationship with depression.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for diabetes mellitus was denied. The Board found that the current level of disability did not meet the criteria for a higher than 20 percent rating, as he does not require insulin and restricted diet.

The Board granted an effective date of September 26, 2006 for the grant of service connection for diabetes mellitus due to herbicide exposure (Agent Orange), based on liberalizing legislation under 38 C.F.R. § 3.114.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's diabetes mellitus type II was not incurred in service and is not otherwise related to service. The claim for service connection must be denied.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is found to be as likely as not related to his active service, including in-service noise exposure. The other issues are addressed but the decision summary does not specify outcomes for gout, eye disability, diabetes mellitus, and acquired psychiatric disorder.