Diabetes Board decisions

The Veteran's PTSD alone, combined with other service-connected disabilities rated at 60 percent or more, meets the criteria for a TDIU rating from July 30, 2010. The Veteran is also eligible for SMC under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1114(s) due to his PTSD alone.

The Veteran's heart disability (coronary artery disease) is granted as service connected due to presumed exposure to herbicide agents during active duty.,There is no current diagnosis of diabetes mellitus. The Veteran's GAD is currently rated at 70 percent prior to September 11, 2014 and will be reassessed after that date.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to conflicting medical opinions regarding the Veteran's diabetes mellitus and related conditions.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including verification of herbicide exposure and obtaining updated VA treatment records.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's type I diabetes mellitus was presumptively incurred in active service due to its onset within one year of separation from service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a respiratory disorder, head injury residuals, type II diabetes mellitus, and tinnitus have been denied. The Board found no evidence of in-service exposure to herbicides or other conditions that would support presumptive service connection.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for ischemic heart disease, diabetes, diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH), sleep apnea, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, neck disability, low back disability, bilateral hip and knee disabilities, iritis, allergies, nephrolithiasis, erectile dysfunction, and lip rash are all granted due to presumed exposure to herbicides in service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral cataracts are at least as likely as not due to his service-connected diabetes mellitus, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for Type II diabetes mellitus is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining deck logs from his ship and determining if he served in inland waterways of Vietnam. The Veteran should also be scheduled for a VA examination to determine if his diabetes is related to his military service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of herbicide exposure or any other form of direct service connection.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine if the Veteran was exposed to ionizing radiation and whether he meets the requirements for special monthly pension based on need for regular aid and attendance or being housebound.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer, ischemic heart disease (IHD), tinnitus, right leg neuropathy, left leg neuropathy, hemorrhoids, scleroderma, left eyebrow scar, and erectile dysfunction (ED) have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation. The Board has granted the TDIU.

The Board has remanded both claims for service connection due to the inadequacies of a September 2011 VA examination report. The Veteran's type II diabetes mellitus claim is being remanded for a new examination, and the circulatory problems of the feet and legs claim will be deferred until the type II diabetes mellitus issue is resolved.

The Veteran's bilateral diabetic retinopathy has been rated at 30 percent since January 31, 2014. The claim for an increased rating is denied.

The Veteran's lung cancer, diabetes mellitus, type II, coronary artery disease, and brain cancer are all found to be related to his service due to exposure to herbicides. The claims for these conditions are therefore granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected diabetes contributed substantially and materially to his death from cardiopulmonary arrest, thus granting service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for diabetes mellitus, mood disorder with depression and anxiety, and congestive heart failure as a result of exposure to herbicides.

The Veteran's service-connected ulcerative colitis with complications, including anemia, hypertension, thyroid disturbance, and skin involvement, has resulted in pronounced symptoms leading to marked malnutrition, anemia, and general debility. The condition is productive of a 100% disability rating from April 19, 2012 to August 2, 2014.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus is granted as service connected due to presumed exposure to herbicides during his time in Vietnam.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are of such nature and severity as to prevent him from securing or following substantially gainful employment, warranting a TDIU.