Diabetes Board decisions

The Board has remanded the case to obtain additional medical records and determine if the veteran was exposed to herbicides during service. The claims for service connection will be adjudicated based on the evidence of record.

The veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of a total rating based upon individual unemployability (TDIU) was denied. The issue of whether new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen his claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus, claimed as secondary to exposure to herbicides, is also denied.

The Board found that the veteran's schizophrenia did not cause or contribute to his death, and since he was receiving a total disability rating due to service-connected conditions for less than ten years prior to his death, DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318 were denied.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a videoconference hearing and an appropriate statement of the case on the issue of an earlier effective date for service connection.

The veteran's PTSD, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, neuropathy of the toes (claimed as stiff toes), degenerative changes of the lumbar spine, degenerative joint disease of the left foot with tarsal tunnel syndrome, and tarsal tunnel syndrome of the right lower extremity are all found to be related to his military service. Cold injuries of the left ear, other than cancer of the left ear, were also found to be related to his military service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for diabetes mellitus and a shell fragment wound of the right leg, finding that his conditions did not warrant higher initial ratings based on current symptomatology.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for diabetes mellitus with erectile dysfunction is being remanded due to inadequate examination reports and the need for additional medical records.

The veteran is seeking to establish service connection for diabetic peripheral neuropathy as secondary to his service-connected diabetes mellitus. The case has been remanded due to the need for a VA examination and further development of evidence.

The Board has determined that the veteran's diabetes mellitus and prostate cancer did not have their onset during active service or within one year following discharge, nor are they related to any in-service disease or injury. The claim for service connection is denied.

The case is being remanded due to incomplete records and the need for further examination and analysis regarding service connection claims.

The Board denied the veteran's claim to reopen his PTSD service connection and did not grant a higher rating for his diabetes mellitus.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence of diabetes mellitus, type II; kidney cancer; bladder cancer; or macular degeneration in service or for many years thereafter, and no competent evidence of a nexus between these disorders and his period of active service. Therefore, the claims for service connection for these conditions are denied.

The Board determined that the veteran did not have service in Vietnam, and thus could not establish entitlement to service connection for post-traumatic stress disorder or diabetes mellitus based on exposure to Agent Orange. The VA medical records provided no evidence of these conditions during service or within one year after discharge.

The veteran's cause of death was listed as coronary artery disease, but the VA examiner found that rheumatic heart disease was a contributory factor. The case is being remanded for further review and clarification.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed conditions are not related to his active military service and thus denied all claims for service connection.

The Board denied increased ratings for diabetic neuropathy of the right and left lower extremities, as well as diabetes mellitus. The veteran's conditions are currently rated at 60 percent each.

The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, osteoarthritis, Parkinson's Disease, hyperlipidemia, and PTSD as they were not incurred or aggravated in service.

The Board has granted a disability rating of 40 percent for diabetic neuropathy of the right leg effective from February 10, 2005. The veteran's condition is characterized by intermittent foot drop and decreased sensation in the dorsum of the right foot.

The Board denied the veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II, associated with exposure to herbicide due to a lack of in-country service in Vietnam and insufficient evidence linking the condition to service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection of diabetes mellitus, type II, and coronary artery disease as secondary to herbicide exposure. The RO had already granted these benefits with an effective date of April 30, 2001.