Diabetes Board decisions

The Veteran's claims for service connection for DM, cancer of the larynx/trachea, and a psychiatric disorder other than PTSD have been denied. The Board found no evidence of current disabilities or service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including new examinations and consideration of the issues on appeal. The primary focus is on determining whether his service-connected PTSD or diabetes mellitus caused or chronically worsened his hypertension.

The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus and lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, effective February 22, 2001. The Veteran's condition was severe enough to warrant a 100% disability rating.

The Board has determined that there is clear and unmistakable evidence that the Veteran's pre-existing Type II Diabetes Mellitus was not aggravated by his periods of active duty for training (ACDUTRA) beyond its natural progression. The hypertension claim is pending as it relates to a period of ACDUTRA.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are sufficient by themselves to preclude him from obtaining or maintaining any form of substantially gainful employment consistent with his education and industrial background.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been received to reopen the claims for service connection for post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, gastroesophageal reflux disease, residuals of removal of gallstones and gallbladder, a disability manifested by dizziness, diabetes mellitus, nerve damage in the head, hypertension, asthma, heart disability, impotence, and an eye disability. The Veteran's claimed conditions are not related to his service.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus is currently rated at 20 percent, but the Board finds that it does not meet the criteria for a higher rating as defined by VA regulations.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have diabetes mellitus and therefore, service connection cannot be granted.

The Veteran seeks a certificate of eligibility for assistance in acquiring specially adapted housing due to his service-connected disabilities. The case is remanded as the current evidence does not adequately address whether his service-connected disabilities alone preclude locomotion and require the use of a wheelchair or other ambulatory assistance.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus type II was not incurred or aggravated during his military service and is not presumed to be due to herbicide exposure. The Board finds that the evidence does not support a link between the Veteran's current condition and his active duty.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for the cause of his death, finding that there was no evidence to support a direct relationship between his service-connected PTSD and the development of colon cancer or pancreatic cancer. The Board also found that diabetes mellitus did not have a presumptive link to service.

The Board has ordered a remand to obtain clarification of the VA medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran had ischemic heart disease, and to clarify whether his service-connected disabilities contributed to his death. The case will be returned for further adjudication.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the percentage requirements for a TDIU, as his combined rating is 90 percent and does not include one disability rated at least 40 percent. The Board finds that he can still obtain and retain substantially gainful employment.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence to support the claim that the Veteran's service-connected PTSD caused or contributed substantially to his death from multisystem organ failure. The appellant's lay assertions are not competent medical evidence.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for a certificate of eligibility for the purchase of an automobile and adaptive equipment, or adaptive equipment only.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for traumatic cataract, diabetes mellitus type II, hypertension, and a tumor in the stomach region. The denial is based on the finality of previous decisions denying these claims.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus type II and associated diabetic retinopathy with neuropathy of the left fingers are currently rated as 20 percent disabling. Separate ratings for peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity (left foot) and right lower extremity (right foot) have been granted.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for entitlement to service connection for diabetes mellitus with headaches, impaired vision and boils, including as secondary to service-connected coronary artery disease status post coronary artery bypass graft and entitlement to an initial evaluation in excess of 50 percent for peripheral vascular disease, both lower extremities, for the period August 5, 1985 to January 12, 1998.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome and denied increased ratings for peripheral neuropathy of the right and left upper extremities. The Veteran's conditions are currently rated as follows: loss of use of both feet (100%), coronary artery disease (60%), PTSD (50%), arthritis of the lumbar spine (40%), peripheral neuropathy of the right upper extremity (30%), peripheral neuropathy of the left upper extremity (20%), diabetes mellitus, type 2 (20%), compression of the L5 nerve root with numbness in the left foot (10%), and erectile dysfunction (noncompensable).

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining his service personnel records, Social Security Administration records, and post-May 2010 VA treatment records. The hearing request remains pending.