Peripheral neuropathy decisions — 2006

The Board finds that the veteran has tinnitus as a result of acoustic trauma in service and grants service connection for this condition. The veteran does not have peripheral neuropathy associated with his service or a service-connected disorder, thus denying service connection for this issue. For dysthymic disorder, the Board finds that the disability is moderately disabling but does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Board has remanded the case for further development to determine if there is a 50 percent probability or greater that any current disability of the right lower extremity, manifested by weakness, is related to service.

The Board denied increased ratings for right and left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy secondary to diabetes, finding that the symptoms are wholly sensory with no more than mild incomplete paralysis of the sciatic nerve in either side. The veteran's upper extremity peripheral neuropathy was also found to be noncompensable.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for peripheral neuropathy and PTSD. The claim of reopening a skin condition was also denied as no new and material evidence was received.

The Board found no current disability of the veteran's wrists and concluded that her wrist pain is not related to service, thus denying her claim for service connection.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for left S1 radiculopathy and peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity, as well as a compensable rating for the residuals of a gunshot wound to the buttocks. The veteran appealed these decisions.

The Board denied service connection for a low back disability and peripheral neuropathy of the hands and lower extremities, finding no evidence linking these conditions to service or service-connected epilepsy. The veteran's post-traumatic stress disorder was also found not to warrant an initial rating higher than 70 percent.,The claim for reopening the hearing loss claim is referred to the RO.

The veteran's hypertension and venous insufficiency are not found to be related to service or service-connected diabetes mellitus.,Diabetic retinopathy and vision loss were not found in the record.

The veteran's left sciatic neuritis is rated at a 40 percent disability level, the maximum allowed under VA regulations.

The Board denied the veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for peripheral neuropathy due to herbicide exposure, finding that there was no current diagnosis of this condition.

The VA has determined that the veteran's peripheral neuropathy is not related to his service, including exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for diabetic retinopathy, hypertension, erectile dysfunction, peripheral neuropathy of the upper extremities, and peripheral vascular disease, all to include as secondary to service-connected diabetes mellitus type II (DM-II). The remaining issues are REMANDED.

The Board has determined that there is no separate disability of the left upper extremity, and that any neuropathy associated with a cervical spine condition is not related to the service-connected left shoulder disability. Therefore, service connection for a separate disability of the left upper extremity is denied.

The Board has remanded the case for obtaining relevant VA treatment records and an opinion regarding whether the veteran's condition is related to herbicide exposure during service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's multifocal sensorimotor peripheral neuropathy was not incurred or aggravated in service and may not be presumed to have been incurred or aggravated in service. The preponderance of evidence is against the claim.

The veteran is seeking higher initial ratings for peripheral neuropathy of the right and left lower extremities. The RO has assigned a 10 percent rating, each, for these disabilities.

The veteran's appeal for service connection for peripheral neuropathy, claimed as due to Agent Orange exposure, has been withdrawn by the appellant through his representative.

The veteran's non-service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for special monthly pension based on need of regular aid and attendance or being housebound.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected disabilities do not result in loss of use of his lower extremities or both buttocks, and therefore, he is not entitled to special monthly compensation for these conditions.

The Board denied the veteran's requests for increased ratings for residuals of frostbite in both hands, finding that there was no evidence to support a separate rating for Raynaud's syndrome and that the symptoms were adequately addressed under the current diagnostic codes.