Diabetes Board decisions

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining more specific information about the veteran's activities in Vietnam and scheduling a comprehensive psychiatric examination to determine if PTSD is service-connected. The VA also needs to schedule an evaluation of the veteran's diabetes mellitus.

The Board finds that the veteran does not require aid and attendance of another person due to his disabilities, including diabetic retinopathy which resulted in blindness in one eye. Therefore, he is denied special monthly pension based on need for aid and attendance.

The Board found that an earlier effective date for the award of non-service-connected disability pension is not warranted, as there was no prior informal or formal claim received by VA prior to November 13, 2001.

The Board found that the veteran did not have type II diabetes mellitus or hypertension due to service, and denied these claims. The claim for erectile dysfunction was also denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection of his stroke as secondary to diabetes and an earlier effective date for erectile dysfunction, diabetic nephropathy, diabetic neuropathy of the lower extremities, and peripheral neuropathy. The Board found that the August 1973 rating decision reducing the skin disorder was not CUE, and denied both the secondary service connection claim and the earlier effective date claims.

The veteran's diabetes mellitus is presumed to have been incurred during active service due to exposure to Agent Orange.

The Board found that the veteran's death was not caused by or substantially contributed to by any service-connected disability, including his heart disorder.

The Board has granted a higher rating of 30 percent for the veteran's residuals of acne, effective from the date of the initial decision. The claim for an increased rating for diabetes mellitus remains pending.

The Board has determined that the veteran's diabetes mellitus is related to his military service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of entitlement to compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 for diabetes mellitus, a heart disorder, and liver and pancreas disorders due to lack of evidence showing causation.

The veteran's claims for higher initial ratings for Type II Diabetes Mellitus, peripheral neuropathy of the arms and legs, and bilateral proliferative diabetic retinopathy were denied. The veteran was also denied service connection for a stroke secondary to his diabetes.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus, hypertension, peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities, headaches, and a low back disorder, all claimed as secondary to exposure to Agent Orange. The appeals were based on presumptive service connection.

The veteran is seeking service connection for coronary artery disease, which he claims is secondary to his service-connected diabetes mellitus. The case has been remanded due to the need for additional development and examination.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for Type 2 diabetes mellitus, finding that there was no in-country service or visitation in Vietnam and thus no presumptive exposure to Agent Orange. The Board also found that the current diagnosis of diabetes did not manifest within one year of separation from service.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for a certificate of eligibility for financial assistance in the purchase of an automobile and adaptive equipment, or for adaptive equipment only. The veteran also does not qualify for special monthly compensation at a rate in excess of that authorized by 38 U.S.C.A. § 1114(l).

The Board has determined that the cause of the veteran's death is not service-connected and that DIC benefits are also denied.

The Board has determined that the preponderance of the evidence is against the veteran's claims for higher ratings for diabetes mellitus and peripheral neuropathy, finding that the conditions are no more than mild.

The Board has determined that the veteran's prostate cancer and type II diabetes mellitus are not related to his military service, including exposure to Agent Orange. The claims for service connection have been denied.

The veteran's diabetes mellitus is rated at a 40 percent rating, which is higher than the current 20 percent rating. The evidence shows that his diabetes now requires him to regulate his activities due to hypoglycemic reactions.

The Board found that the veteran's diabetes mellitus, with diabetic neuropathy of the lower extremities and erectile dysfunction, does not warrant a disability evaluation in excess of 20 percent.