Diabetes Board decisions

The Board has remanded the claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus due to Agent Orange exposure and as secondary to PTSD. Further development is needed to determine if the Veteran's ships were within twelve nautical miles of the shore of Vietnam during his service.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's exposure to Agent Orange, and a new medical opinion is needed to determine if he can establish service connection for diabetes mellitus.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to herbicide exposure, as it is unclear whether the Veteran served within the 12 nautical mile territorial sea of Vietnam during his military service. Additional information from the U.S. Army Joint Services Records Research Center (JSRRC) is needed.

The Veteran's GERD was found to be at least as likely as not caused by or aggravated by his chronic use of NSAIDs for service-connected musculoskeletal disabilities.,His diabetes mellitus was also found to be at least as likely as not caused by or aggravated by the weight gain resulting from his service-connected musculoskeletal disabilities.

The Veteran's service connection claim for type II diabetes mellitus is granted due to exposure to herbicide agents during his service at Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base.

The Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus is found to have contributed substantially to his cause of death. The appeal for accrued benefits is denied as the claim was not filed within one year of the Veteran's death.

The Veteran's hypertension is granted a 10 percent rating. The issues of service connection for psychiatric disability, bilateral hearing loss, and bilateral glaucoma with diabetic retinopathy are remanded.

The Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus, type II is found to be the primary cause of his diagnosed hypertension, kidney disability, peripheral neuropathies in multiple extremities. Service connection for these conditions is granted.

The Board has denied service connection for respiratory disability due to lack of evidence. The claims for PTSD, cardiovascular disabilities, and type II diabetes mellitus are remanded as there is insufficient information regarding the Veteran's exposure to herbicides or other potential stressors.

The Board has remanded both claims for service connection due to insufficient development of the record and need for medical opinions. The acquired psychiatric disorder claim is related to in-service stressful covert training missions, while the diabetes mellitus claim requires further consideration regarding its relationship to service and any current psychiatric disorders.

The Veteran's death was not due to willful misconduct and he did not meet the criteria for DIC under 38 U.S.C. § 1318, as he was not continuously rated totally disabled for 10 years before his death or a former POW who died more than 10 years after separation from service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, diabetes, peripheral neuropathy, and diabetic retinopathy, have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation. The Board has granted TDIU based on the combined effect of these conditions.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for diabetes mellitus, type II and low back disability as well as their secondary leg disabilities due to the need for an in-person VA examination. The Veteran's service connection claim for diabetes is being reopened based on new evidence.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings were denied. The restoration of a 20 percent rating for hypertension was granted, but the claim for an increased rating remains denied.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to insufficient evidence and the need for additional VA treatment records.

The appeals for increased disability ratings for diabetic nephropathy, coronary artery disease, hearing loss, diabetic retinopathy, cataracts, and macular edema are dismissed. The appeal for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability to include anxiety, depression, and PTSD is denied.

The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II, as the Veteran did not have exposure to herbicide agents in Thailand and there is no evidence that his duties required him to be near the perimeter of the Korat Air Base.

The Veteran's liver cirrhosis non-alcohol related was proximately due to his service-connected diabetes mellitus type II, and contributed substantially or materially to his death. Therefore, DIC based on the cause of the Veteran’s death is granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD and other conditions, have rendered him unemployable since December 2, 1996. The decision grants a TDIU on an extraschedular basis for this period.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient information regarding the Veteran's exposure in Vietnam, which could affect his claim for service connection for the cause of his death.