Diabetes decisions — 2019

The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's claimed conditions, finding that there was no evidence of exposure to herbicides or other hazardous materials during his military service and that the conditions were not related to his active duty.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to address the Veteran's claims for service connection, including obtaining VA treatment records and providing an expert opinion regarding his COPD claim.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected Type 2 diabetes mellitus.

The Veteran's death is being remanded due to the need for additional medical records and a VA medical opinion regarding whether ischemic heart disease and diabetes mellitus type 2 were at least as likely as not an immediate or contributing cause of his death.

The Veteran's appeal is REMANDED for additional development regarding his claims of service connection for various conditions, including bilateral foot disability, bilateral eye condition, heart disease due to exposure to herbicides, prostate cancer due to exposure to herbicides, and diabetes mellitus II due to exposure to herbicides. The AOJ must obtain the Veteran's military personnel records from his service with the Air Force in 1960s and his duty with the Air Force Reserve in 1970s, verify his asserted in-service exposure as an aircraft maintenance personnel to herbicide agents, schedule him for a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of any bilateral foot disability, and obtain an addendum opinion from an appropriate clinician concerning whether his in-service complaint of blurred vision is related to his cataracts.

The Board has remanded the claims for diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and bilateral hearing loss due to new VA treatment records being added to the record. The Veteran did not respond within the required time frame to waive AOJ review of these records.

The Veteran's cause of death is granted, with severe ischemic cardiomyopathy and diabetes mellitus, type II, presumed to be due to service exposure to herbicide agents (Agent Orange).

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD and persistent depressive disorder with mixed features result in the need for aid and attendance of another person due to memory impairment and the requirement of more than one insulin injection per day.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of his claimed conditions. The Veteran will be provided with additional examinations and opinions.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, diabetic peripheral neuropathy, and diabetes mellitus, render him unemployable from June 1, 2015 to June 11, 2017.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus, type II is granted service connection as it was incurred during his military service. The right shoulder disability issue remains pending and will be remanded for further examination.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for ischemic heart disease and diabetes mellitus, both presumed to be due to herbicide exposure in Thailand, have been granted.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability, tinnitus, and type II diabetes mellitus were not shown to have had their onset during service or be otherwise related to service.,Service connection for the Veteran’s bilateral hearing loss disability was denied as there is no evidence of a disease or injury in service that resulted in current hearing loss. The Board found that the Veteran's assertions regarding noise exposure during service are not credible, and his claim based on presumptive service connection was also denied.,The Veteran's tinnitus was denied as there is no evidence of a disease or injury in service that resulted in current tinnitus. The Board found that the Veteran's assertions regarding noise exposure during service are not credible, and his claim based on presumptive service connection was also denied.,Service connection for type II diabetes mellitus was denied as there is no evidence of a disease or injury in service that resulted in current diabetes. The Board found that the Veteran's claims based on Agent Orange exposure were not supported by available evidence.

The Board denied service connection for both sleep apnea and diabetes, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's military service.

The Board denied service connection for both sleep apnea and diabetes, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's military service.

The Board denied service connection for diabetes and pancreatic cancer due to herbicide exposure, finding no evidence of such exposure during the Veteran's Air Force Reserve service.

The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus, type I, finding that the initial onset of symptoms occurred during a period of active duty for training (ACDUTRA).

The Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II; erectile dysfunction; and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities have all been denied as secondary to these conditions. The Board found no evidence of in-service exposure to Agent Orange or other herbicide agents, and there is no current diagnosis of any of the claimed disabilities.

The Veteran's spouse is denied earlier effective date prior to November 1, 2011 for dependency allowance as the appropriate effective date is November 1, 2011 when his combined disability rating became 90 percent.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals regarding his claims of residuals of a left elbow cyst excision, bilateral shin splints, and a traumatic brain injury. The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus, bilateral lower extremity diabetic neuropathy, sleep apnea, and cardiovascular disability.