Diabetes Board decisions

The veteran's death was due to acute cardiopulmonary arrest, but the cause is unknown. The appellant contends that her husband's stress from his prostate cancer and diabetes combined with his cardiovascular disease caused his death. Further development is needed to determine if he had service in Vietnam and whether any presumptions apply.

The veteran's claim for special monthly compensation based on the need for aid and attendance or housebound status is being remanded due to the need for additional medical records and a new VA examination.

The veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus requires oral hypoglycemic agents and a diet restriction, but does not require insulin or regulation of his activities. The criteria for an initial rating in excess of 20 percent are not met.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus is granted, as there is sufficient evidence to support a finding of direct service connection. The appeal was not based on exposure to herbicide agents.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus, finding that there was no evidence of exposure to herbicides and no direct link between his service and the condition.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus, finding no evidence linking his current condition to exposure to chemicals and solvents in service or any other basis of service connection.

The Board has determined that the veteran's type II diabetes mellitus does not warrant an initial rating in excess of 20 percent, as his condition is well-controlled with oral hypoglycemic agents and he does not require insulin or regulation of activities.

The veteran's diabetes mellitus was not incurred or aggravated during service, and the Board denied his claim for service connection.

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

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have PTSD, diabetes mellitus as a result of service exposure to Agent Orange, impotency due to his service-connected conditions or hypertension. The claims for these conditions are therefore denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for asthma, necrobiosis lipoidica diabeticorum, and chronic fatigue syndrome due to herbicide exposure. The reasons given were that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his military service or to Agent Orange exposure.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for shortness of breath and an initial rating in excess of 20 percent for diabetes mellitus. The Board found that there was no evidence to support direct service connection for shortness of breath, as it did not occur during service or be related to Agent Orange exposure. For diabetes mellitus, the Board noted that the veteran's disability does not require restriction of activities and thus does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Board found that the severance of service connection for the veteran's diabetes mellitus effective as of November 1, 2003, was improper. The case is now remanded to determine an initial evaluation in excess of 20 percent for the veteran's diabetes mellitus.

The Board has determined that the veteran's diabetes mellitus was not incurred in or aggravated by his active military service and may not be presumed to have been so incurred. The claim for service connection is denied.

The veteran is granted a 20 percent rating for diabetes mellitus from March 1, 2002 to November 24, 2002. He is not entitled to higher ratings.

The veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes and hypertension were denied. The claim to reopen the previously denied claim of service connection for hypertension was granted, but the new evidence did not establish that the veteran had hypertension during service or within one year after discharge. Service connection for a spinal disorder, multiple joint disorders, right shoulder disorder, and laceration over the left eye are all denied.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities, including diabetes mellitus, hiatal hernia, hypertension with history of congestive heart failure associated with diabetes, peripheral neuropathy, left lower extremity, and peripheral neuropathy, right lower extremity, are found to be sufficient for a TDIU rating.

The Board found that the veteran did not serve in Vietnam and thus was not exposed to herbicides, making it impossible to grant service connection for diabetes mellitus as secondary to Agent Orange exposure.

The Board has remanded the case due to a need for clarification on whether the veteran's service-connected disabilities contributed substantially or materially to his death.

The veteran's service-connected dysthymic disorder has been rated at 30 percent since May 8, 2001.,The veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus type II associated with herbicide exposure has been rated at 20 percent since July 9, 2001.