Diabetes decisions — 2016

The Veteran seeks service connection for diabetes mellitus, which he claims is related to in-service exposure to Agent Orange. The Board has ordered a remand due to conflicting medical findings regarding the type of diabetes and the need for further examination.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevented him from securing or maintaining substantially gainful employment as of December 11, 2009. The Board granted a TDIU effective that date.

The Veteran's claim for nonservice-connected pension benefits is denied as she does not meet the criteria for a permanent and total disability rating due to her service-connected knee disabilities, which are currently rated at 10 percent each.

The Veteran's claims for higher initial ratings for peripheral neuropathy of the right and left lower extremities, as well as his requests for earlier effective dates for service connection for diabetes mellitus and TDIU have been withdrawn. The Board also dismissed these issues due to lack of evidence supporting earlier effective dates.

The Veteran does not have diabetes mellitus, type II, that manifested during service or is otherwise related to service, including as due to herbicide exposure.

The Board has determined that the Veteran withdrew his appeal for increased ratings for adenocarcinoma of the prostate, status post radiation therapy with urinary incontinence; peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper extremities; peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities; and for entitlement to automobile and adaptive equipment or for adaptive equipment only. The Board also determined that a cerebrovascular accident was not incurred or aggravated by service-connected diabetes mellitus, type II.

The Board has granted service connection for cervical spine degenerative joint disease, bilateral upper extremity cervical radiculopathy, and residuals of a right femur fracture. The Veteran's diabetes mellitus with peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities is also service-connected. However, initial disability ratings are denied.

The Veteran has been granted service connection for type II diabetes mellitus and erectile dysfunction as secondary to his service-connected type II diabetes mellitus.,The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is considered presumptively incurred in service due to herbicide exposure. Service connection was also granted for hypertension, which is presumed to have been caused by herbicide exposure during service.,Service connection has been established for a psychosis for the purpose of establishing eligibility for treatment only under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1702.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his bilateral knee disabilities and service connection for pancreas failure, renal failure (including as due to diabetes mellitus, type 2), hypertension (including as due to diabetes mellitus, type 2), and diabetes mellitus, type 2. The TDIU claim was also denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities, renal cysts and/or lesions, to include incontinence, and diplopia were denied. The claim for increased evaluation for diabetes mellitus was also denied.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus was not incurred during active service or a period of ACDUTRA, and the Board denied service connection for this condition.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, finding that there was no evidence linking the onset of IDDM to service or within a year of discharge.

The Board dismissed the appeal due to the Veteran's death, and no jurisdiction remains for the merits of the case.

The Board found no evidence of herbicide exposure during service, and thus the presumptive provisions for diabetes mellitus and ischemic heart disease do not apply. The Veteran's current conditions are not shown to be related to his active duty service.

The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus and peripheral vascular disease on a secondary basis to the Veteran's pre-existing diabetes.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for a new VA examination to assess his ability to function in most employment settings due to his service-connected disabilities, and for further development of the record.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn due to his request for a hearing and his desire to withdraw all pending issues on appeal.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and a VA psychiatric examination to assess the Veteran's PTSD. The TDIU claim is also pending.

The Veteran's claims for diabetes mellitus, type II and hypertension are being remanded due to incomplete service records and the need for additional examinations. The peripheral neuropathy claims will be considered as part of this process.