BVA9502371 
DOCKET NO.  93-06 914     )       DATE
          )
          )

On appeal from the decision of the
Department of Veterans Affairs Regional Office in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania

THE ISSUE

Entitlement to service connection for diabetes mellitus.

REPRESENTATION

Appellant represented by: Disabled American Veterans

WITNESS AT HEARING ON APPEAL

Appellant

ATTORNEY FOR THE BOARD

Richard F. Williams, Counsel

REMAND

The veteran had active duty from December 1969 to December 1972
and from May 1974 to May 1988.

During his October 1991 hearing at the Department of Veterans
Affairs (VA) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Regional Office (RO),
the veteran testified that he had seen two physicians during the
period between service discharge in May 1988 and the diagnosis of
his diabetes mellitus in May 1990.  He said one of these had no
records because he had been working in a hospital at the time and
had not taken any records when he moved to a private office.  The
other had moved and the veteran could not locate him.  The
veteran did not name either physician.

To ensure that VA has met its duty to assist the appellant in
developing the facts pertinent to the claim, the case is REMANDED
to the RO for the following development:

1.  The RO should obtain the names and
addresses of all medical care providers who
treated the veteran between May 1988 and
May 1990.  Appropriate resources should be
used to locate the physician who moved, and
the hospital where the veteran was treated
by the other physician should be contacted.
After securing the necessary release, the
RO should obtain these records.

2.  After these records have been obtained,
an opinion should be requested from a VA
physician as to whether it is at least as
likely as not that the single elevated
blood glucose reading in service (April
1987, 117 mg/dl) represented the presence
of the diabetes mellitus that was first
diagnosed in May 1980.  The claims folder
should be reviewed by the physician for the
purpose of making this determination.

If the claim remains denied after RO review, a supplemental
statement of the case should be prepared and the veteran and his
representative should be given an opportunity to respond.
Thereafter, the case should be returned to the Board, if in
order.  The Board intimates no opinion as to the ultimate outcome
of this case.  The appellant need take no action unless otherwise
notified.

          J. E. DAY
          Member, Board of Veterans' Appeals

The Board of Veterans' Appeals Administrative Procedures
Improvement Act, Pub. L. No. 103-271, § 6, 108 Stat. 740, ___
(1994), permits a proceeding instituted before the Board to be
assigned to an individual member of the Board for a
determination.  This proceeding has been assigned to an
individual member of the Board.

Under 38 U.S.C.A. § 7252 (West 1991), only a decision of the
Board of Veterans' Appeals is appealable to the United States
Court of Veterans Appeals.  This remand is in the nature of a
preliminary order and does not constitute a decision of the Board
on the merits of your appeal.  38 C.F.R. § 20.1100(b) (1993).