Diabetes Board decisions

The Veteran's appeals for a rating in excess of 20 percent for diabetes mellitus, service connection for low testosterone, and service connection for right testicular pain and swelling following hernia surgery have been dismissed due to the Veteran withdrawing his appeals.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to determine if he is unemployable due to his service-connected disabilities prior to and after March 30, 2011. The RO will consider whether the Veteran can secure and follow substantially gainful employment given all of his service-connected conditions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings, finding no evidence to support the claimed disabilities or their relationship to service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for type 2 diabetes mellitus and asthma are being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding the relationship between his current conditions and military service.

The Veteran does not have hearing loss or tinnitus that is attributable to active military service.,The Veteran has been diagnosed with type II diabetes mellitus, which may be presumed to have been incurred during active military service.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate reasons and bases for not granting a separate compensable rating for diabetic nephropathy in the November 2010 decision. The Veteran should be afforded a VA examination to assess the severity of his renal dysfunction.

The Veteran's appeals for higher ratings on diabetes mellitus with diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma have been resolved in his favor. The claims are dismissed as the Veteran has withdrawn them.

The Board has granted service connection for ischemic heart disease and the cause of death due to coronary artery disease, both presumed to be related to Agent Orange exposure during service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for left ankle disability, bilateral hearing loss disability, diabetes mellitus, and heart condition. The appeals were based on direct service connection.

The Board found that there is no evidence to support a finding of diabetes mellitus, type II being incurred in or aggravated by service, including exposure to herbicides. The claim for service connection was denied.

The Board found that the Veteran's diabetes mellitus type II was not caused or aggravated by his service-connected sarcoidosis and therefore denied the claim.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left shoulder disability and diabetes are not related to service, and therefore denied both claims.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus is found to be related to his in-service pre-diabetic symptoms, and the claim for service connection is granted.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to determine if his diabetes mellitus is related to service exposure to dioxins in Guam. The issue of reopening the claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder will also be addressed.

The Veteran is entitled to specially adapted housing due to his service-connected disabilities, including loss of use of both lower extremities. The claim for a special home adaptation grant is moot as the Veteran is already eligible for specially adapted housing.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus and a skin condition are being remanded due to the need to obtain his complete service personnel records, deck logs for the USS Intrepid, and any outstanding private treatment records. The Board will determine whether he served in Vietnam or on inland waters of Vietnam.

The Board found that the Veteran's diabetes mellitus was not incurred in active service and cannot be presumed to be related to such service.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is granted as his service-connected disabilities are of such severity that he is unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed as he withdrew his appeal for service connection of COPD. The remaining issues are addressed in the REMAND portion.

The Veteran's service connection claims for PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, skin cancer, impaired glucose tolerance and/or diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and back injury were all granted. The Veteran was assigned a 100% disability rating for PTSD from November 26, 2007 to January 26, 2009, and a greater than 50% rating thereafter.