Diabetes Mellitus

[KansasNavy]

Hello All.  Is Diabetes Mellitus a presumptive condition?  Was diagnosed recently 5 years after retirement.  Hard to believe there weren't warning signs.  will have to read up on Diabetes to see if anything in records might indicate it.

[ShrekTheTank]

I would search you records for anything linked to this.  Unless you have this you will have a hard time SC this disability.  Search them for any symptoms.  

[KansasNavy]

Thanks

[Berta]

Diabetes Mellitus is presumptive to any incountry Vietnam Veteran.

I helped a Army vet prove with his SMRs from the 1960s -(he was never in Vietnam) which his lawyers and vet rep never read at all-he had 2 trips to the CAVC, that his diabetes began in service.

My husband ,I proved, who was an incountry Vietnam Vet, who was never diagnosed or treated for diabetes mellitus, had the signs of DMII in the 6 years of his VA medical records, and I also proved it contributed to his death.

All of above was not easy and took a lot of research and time.

The VA DMII training letter should be here somewhere-

I used an older version of it but VA re wrote it.

Oddly enough my husband;s drivers licenses, and even his dental records from VA, (minimal because his teeth were in good shape) had revealed the presense of and affects of DMII.

The army vet took my findings to his private endocrinologist who used the IMO/IME format here and wrote a strong Opinion, and the VA service connected his diabetes.

In my case, I developed a timeline, that refered to specific entries in my husband's VA medical records, that indicated he had diabetes mellitus- and sent those records, tabbed, as to the the time line,in the entire VA med rec stack, to Dr Bash, who prepared not one but two separately IMos that awarded the claim at the BVA.

I also had a freebee brief IMO from a former VA Neuro-the only VA doctor who knew what he was doing,during my husband's treatment for a major stroke.

The records contained something that was crossed out but I managed to decifer it- it was the neuro's diabetes diagnosis.I know why it was crossed out. The other doctors were trying to cover up malpractice from a different VAMC.

Medical records contain acronyms that google has made it easy to decifer.still this a lot of work but DMII does not happen overnight and your Blood Chem reports would reveal how far back the glucose levels were high.

The definitive test for diabetes is the HB1AC. The VA could have given my husband that test but never did. They had small check marks on his glucose and tryglyceride readings....that should have prompted more tests but he never got those tests.

Your first review of your VA  records should  be what any blood chem reports show as values.,for glucose and any HB1AC findings.

It might be very hard to prove your symptoms began in service- but there are other ways to go ,if the failed to diagnose you in a timely manner.((1151, 38 USC)....if your doctor actually works for the VA. 

 

 

 

Edited May 30, 2019 by Berta

[Reesej66@hotmail.com]

Not a Vietnam vet, but have been diagnosed with diabetes type 2, how can I get service connected or link it as secondary

[broncovet]

"Reese"...Please post your question in a "new" post and you will get more views and more answers.  Since you are new, Im gonna answer your question in someone elses post "just this once".  

As Berta explained, diabetes is apparently a presumptive for Vn Vets, but that presumption "could" extend to other countries where AO was used.  

The VA website lists other countries where AO is a presumptive:  https://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/locations/index.asp

More here:  https://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/conditions/index.asp

However, understand you wont be denied SC for diabetes "solely because" you did not visit those other countries during military service.  It just means its easier to establish SC if you did military service in one of these countries.  

You can also get SC for diabetes the "old fashioned way"...you have the Caluza elements of diagnosis, in service event or aggravation and nexus.  It can also be secondary to one of your current SC conditions.