Diabetes decisions — 2017

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus and remanded it to the AOJ for further action.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed disabilities are not service-connected due to lack of evidence showing exposure to herbicides during active duty and because his current conditions were not present within one year after discharge.

The Board found that the Veteran's diabetes mellitus and ischemic heart disease were not related to his military service, including exposure to herbicide agents. The evidence did not support a finding of in-service injury or diagnosis.

The Board found that the Veteran's type II diabetes mellitus is not causally or etiologically related to any disease, injury, or incident in service, including as associated with exposure to toxic chemicals. The preponderance of evidence does not support a finding of service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected type 2 diabetes mellitus, finding that the disability was aggravated by his diabetes.

The Board found the Veteran's service connection claim for diabetes mellitus, type II granted based on presumed exposure to herbicides during his active duty in Korea. The Veteran served near the DMZ and had duties that required him to travel to areas close to the DMZ.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's diabetes mellitus is not etiologically related to his military service, including ionizing radiation exposure.

The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer, and a heart condition due to herbicide exposure.

The Veteran seeks service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II, claiming it was caused by herbicide exposure during his time in Vietnam. The Board has not been able to verify the Veteran's alleged service at Tan Son Nhut Air Base near Saigon, Vietnam, and thus remands the case for further development.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a respiratory disorder, diabetes mellitus, and tooth number 19 (for VA compensation purposes), finding no current disability or evidence of in-service causation.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed as there is no valid Notice of Disagreement or substantive appeal filed for the issues of increased ratings for bilateral cortical cataracts, diabetes mellitus type 2 with hypertension and erectile dysfunction (ED), and paranoid schizophrenia.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss was denied. The Court held that evidence added to the record since the May 2005 rating decision, denying service connection for PTSD, is new and material, and the claim for service connection is reopened. However, the criteria for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, sleep apnea, liver disorder, diabetes mellitus, diabetic neuropathy of the upper extremities, diabetic neuropathy of the lower extremities, and skin cancer have not been met.

The Veteran's death was due to ischemic microvascular disease, which is a consequence of his service-connected diabetes mellitus type II. The Board finds that the service-connected condition contributed substantially or materially to cause or hasten the Veteran's death and grants service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus, right and left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, and left Charcot foot deformity are all granted service connection on a presumptive basis due to herbicide exposure. The Veteran is also granted a non-compensable rating for his bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus and arteriosclerotic heart disease, finding that the Veteran's exposure to herbicide agents during his service in Thailand is presumed. The effective date of this decision is not specified.

The Board denied service connection for cardiovascular disorder, diabetes mellitus, and erectile dysfunction. The Veteran's combined rating is 40 percent due to multiple lower extremity conditions.

The Board denied reopening of the claims for diabetes mellitus, eye disability (glaucoma), depression, left hip disability, left ring finger infection, hemorrhoids, and kidney stones. The new evidence did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating these claims.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetic retinopathy, to include as secondary to service-connected diabetes mellitus is being remanded due to the need for additional development including obtaining missing service treatment records and providing an addendum medical opinion.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his lumbar spine degenerative disc disease with scoliosis, left and right lower extremity lumbar radiculopathy with diabetic peripheral neuropathy have been denied as the evidence does not meet the criteria for a higher rating under the applicable VA rating schedule.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus type 2 is rated at 40 percent since March 9, 2017. The Board denied an extraschedular evaluation for the combined effects of diabetes and posttraumatic stress disorder.