Peripheral neuropathy decisions — 2008

The veteran withdrew his claims for service connection for hypertension and CAD, status-post myocardial infarction and coronary artery bypass surgery. The Board granted service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the right and left lower extremities as secondary to service-connected diabetes mellitus.

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the lumbar and cervical spine, but remanded this claim along with claims for PTSD, diabetes mellitus with peripheral neuropathy, and gynecological disorders for further development.

The appeal is remanded for a VA examination to assess the current severity of the veteran's lumbar spine disorder and peripheral neuropathy of both lower extremities.

The Board finds that the veteran's peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities is related to his service-connected diabetes mellitus type II.

The veteran's right upper thigh strain, involving muscle groups XVI and XIV, is rated at a combined 30 percent.

The Board remands the claims for further development to verify whether the veteran served a tour of duty in Vietnam.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings and earlier effective dates were denied as the evidence did not support higher evaluations or earlier effective dates.

The Board granted service connection for peripheral neuropathy, but remanded the remaining claims for further development.

The veteran's diabetes mellitus type II with impotence and retinopathy was granted a rating of 60 percent, while hypertension with diabetic nephropathy, left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, and right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy were denied increased ratings.

The veteran's claim to reopen the issue of entitlement to service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities (claimed as nerve damage), to include as due to inservice exposure to ionizing radiation, was denied because new and material evidence was not submitted.

The Board denied service connection for alcoholism, diabetes mellitus, arthritis, peripheral neuropathy, and acid reflux secondary to alcoholism. The claim to reopen the veteran's claim of service connection for defective hearing of the left ear was also denied. Additionally, an increased rating for PTSD was not warranted.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied as the evidence did not support a higher disability rating.

The veteran's low back pain and peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity do not meet the criteria for ratings higher than 20 percent and 10 percent, respectively.

The Board denied service connection for coronary artery disease, peripheral neuropathy, and peripheral vascular insufficiency as they were not shown to be related to the veteran's active duty or secondary to his diabetes mellitus. The claim for a compensable rating for erectile dysfunction was also denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy, and HIV infection as there was no evidence of a link between these conditions and his military service.

The Board denied service connection for the various disabilities claimed, as there was no evidence of a relationship between any of these conditions and the veteran's period of active duty.

The Board denied service connection for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, peripheral neuropathy of the feet, degenerative arthritis of the left knee, and an acquired psychiatric disorder.

The Board denied service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the left and right upper extremities as they were not shown to be related to any disease, injury or event during active service.

The veteran's service connection for PTSD was granted due to a current diagnosis and verified in-service stressors.

The veteran's service-connected left lower extremity disability does not warrant a rating in excess of 10 percent, and his low back disability is not caused or aggravated by the service-connected left lower extremity disability.