Peripheral neuropathy decisions — 2009

The Veteran's lung cancer was not related to service, and his service-connected disabilities did not contribute substantially or materially to his death.

The Board denied the appellant's claims for service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities and a lower back disability, finding that these conditions were not present in service or until many years thereafter, and they are not related to service or to an incident of service origin or to a service-connected disorder.

The Board has remanded the case for clarification of the Veteran's current peripheral neuropathy condition and to determine if it is related to his service, including herbicide exposure.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for bilateral upper and lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, but the Board finds that additional development is necessary due to incomplete medical records and a need for clarification from the VA examiner.

The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus and peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, finding no current evidence of these conditions. The Veteran's exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam is not considered as it does not meet the criteria for presumptive service connection.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities, including as due to herbicide exposure, is being remanded for further development.

The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus and acute and subacute peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities, finding that there was no evidence to support a claim based on in-service exposure to herbicides or other conditions.

The Board finds that the preponderance of the evidence is against a finding that the Veteran's erectile dysfunction and peripheral neuropathy, left upper extremity are proximately due to or related to his service-connected diabetes mellitus, type II.

The Veteran's peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities is found to be related to his service-connected diabetes mellitus. His PTSD is rated at 30 percent, which is the maximum rating available under the criteria.

The Veteran's erectile dysfunction is found to be a result of his service-connected diabetes. The claim for increased initial ratings for coronary artery disease, status-post coronary bypass graft, is remanded due to outstanding records and the need for further examination.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral leg disability was not incurred in or aggravated by active service and denied his claims.

The VA did not find that the Veteran's current left upper extremity complaints were caused by a fault on the part of the VA in providing medical treatment, and thus denied his claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to February 1, 2005, for separate evaluations of peripheral sensory neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are rated as 80 percent disabling, meeting the minimum requirements for eligibility for an award of TDIU. The VA examiner found that the Veteran should be able to maintain or perform a sedentary type job despite his service-connected disabilities.

The Board found that the Veteran's peripheral neuropathy did not have its onset in service and is not otherwise attributable to service. The claim for service connection was denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including hypertension, prostate cancer, diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, and a psychiatric disorder were denied. The Board found that new evidence did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating these claims.

The Veteran's disability picture reasonably encompasses a variety of significant multi-system disabilities that render him more often than not unable to safely perform virtually all activities of daily living without regular assistance from another person, warranting the grant of SMP benefits based on the need for regular aid and attendance.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a compensable rating for erectile dysfunction.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right ulnar nerve disorder and peripheral neuropathy, finding that there was insufficient evidence to support these claims.

The Board finds that the Veteran's current left brachial plexus neuropathy is not a result of VA carelessness, negligence, or similar instance of fault. The evidence indicates this condition was likely due to the May 2001 surgery and is such an uncommon complication that it could not have been reasonably foreseen.