Peripheral neuropathy decisions — 2005

The Board denied service connection for a cyst of the left eye, chloracne, and neuropathy of the right and left upper and lower extremities. The veteran's exposure to herbicides in Vietnam is presumed.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional medical records to be obtained and a VA examination to determine the nature, extent, and severity of his service-connected conditions.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities do not result in anatomical loss or use of both feet, one hand and one foot, or blindness in both eyes. His service-connected conditions have not resulted in helplessness requiring the regular aid and attendance of another.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for peripheral neuropathy, finding that it was not incurred in or aggravated by service and denying both presumptive (Agent Orange exposure) and direct service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities as secondary to service-connected diabetes mellitus. However, hypertension was not found to be related to service-connected diabetes mellitus.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, diabetes mellitus type II, bilateral peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, and ocular myasthenia gravis due to lack of evidence supporting these conditions as being related to his military service.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings were granted, with evaluations of 60 percent for the postoperative residuals of degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine and 20 percent for neuropathy of the left lower extremity. The cervical spine claim was denied.

The Board finds that it is as likely as not that the veteran incurred hepatitis C with peripheral neuropathy during service, and grants service connection for these conditions.

The Board finds that the veteran's bilateral foot fungus, vision loss, PTSD, and back disorder were not incurred during active military service.,Service connection for these conditions is denied.

The appellant has withdrawn their appeal, resulting in the dismissal of this case.

The Board denied service connection for carotid artery disease, fungal infection of the toenails, soft tissue sarcoma, and peripheral neuropathy due to Agent Orange exposure. The veteran's claims were not well-grounded as there was no evidence showing these conditions were incurred or aggravated by his military service.

The veteran's claim for service connection for claimed acute or subacute peripheral neuropathy, to include as due to Agent Orange exposure, was denied. The Board found no evidence of such a condition during service and concluded that the current condition is not related to herbicide exposure.

The Board has granted service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the hands, diagnosed as diabetic neuropathy. However, it denied a higher initial disability rating for diabetes mellitus.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected peripheral neuropathy of the right upper extremity does not warrant a compensable evaluation, as there is no evidence of complete paralysis or significant nerve damage.

The Board found that the veteran did not experience symptoms of peripheral neuropathy until over twenty years after his discharge from service, and there is no medical evidence linking current complaints to service or exposure to Agent Orange. The veteran's need for assistance with daily activities was attributed to a nonservice-connected seizure disorder.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a bilateral foot disorder and type II diabetes mellitus, finding that there was no evidence of such conditions during active service or due to herbicide exposure.

The Board found that the veteran does not have peripheral neuropathy related to his period of service, including due to exposure to herbicide agents. Therefore, service connection for peripheral neuropathy is denied.

The Board finds that the veteran is entitled to an effective date of September 27, 2001 for the establishment of service connection for diabetes mellitus. The claim was received more than one year after the May 8, 2001 effective date for this change in regulations. The veteran's erectile dysfunction and low back disorder were not granted as service-connected conditions.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have neuropathy of the upper or lower extremities, and therefore service connection for these conditions cannot be granted.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current low back disorder or lower extremity neuropathy, and therefore service connection for these conditions is denied.