The Veteran's claim for a higher evaluation for his service-connected bilateral peripheral vascular disease prior to August 22, 2011 was denied as the evidence did not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 70 percent. The claim for SMC based on need for aid and attendance from November 23, 2007, was granted.

The Veteran's PTSD has been granted an initial rating of 70 percent.,Service connection for diabetes mellitus type II as a result of herbicide exposure is remanded due to lack of evidence of contact with Agent Orange in the Dominican Republic.,Secondary service connection claims for various conditions are remanded due to the need to establish herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's death was not caused by his own willful misconduct, and at the time of his death he had service-connected disabilities that were continuously rated totally disabling for less than 10 years prior to his death. Therefore, the criteria for DIC under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318 are not met.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, when evaluated in association with his educational attainment and occupational experience, do not preclude all forms of substantially gainful employment prior to February 27, 2014. Since February 27, 2014, the combined effect of his bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, cervical spondylosis, and left arm radiculopathy, when evaluated in association with his educational attainment and occupational experience, preclude all forms of substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for diabetes mellitus, now styled to include as secondary to herbicide exposure, was reopened but ultimately denied. The claims for service connection for kidney disorder, bilateral peripheral vascular disease, coronary artery disease, hypertension, erectile dysfunction, and diabetic retinopathy were also denied.