Peripheral neuropathy decisions — 2011

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and scheduling a VA examination to determine his employability due to service-connected disabilities.

The Board found that the October 2005 rating decision granting service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper extremities was not clearly and unmistakably erroneous, thus upholding the original award.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, finding that there was no evidence of a current disability or a link to service. The claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 20 percent for prostate cancer is pending.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to obtain and maintain substantially gainful employment.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to missing records and an inadequate VA examination report.

The Veteran's tinnitus was not incurred in or aggravated by active service. The Board found that the preponderance of evidence is against his claim for service connection for tinnitus.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are not of such severity as to render him unable to obtain or maintain substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining Social Security Administration records and a VA medical opinion regarding his heart disorder.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining records from various sources and scheduling VA examinations. The Veteran's claims are currently pending.

The Board has remanded the claim due to insufficient evidence, including a questionable military retirement examination report that may have been altered. The Veteran's service connection claim for Type II Diabetes Mellitus and associated peripheral neuropathy is being reviewed again with additional efforts to obtain missing STRs and a VA medical opinion.

The Veteran's claim for an evaluation in excess of 60 percent for his service-connected degenerative disc disease from L3 to S1 with neuropathy of both lower extremities was denied. The Veteran was granted a TDIU rating, and the claim for a temporary total rating beyond June 30, 2003, due to convalescence following surgery was dismissed.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities, and erectile dysfunction as secondary to diabetes mellitus. The Veteran's claims for hypertension and diabetic eye disability are pending.

The Board has determined that the claimant's service connection claims are inextricably intertwined with his diabetes mellitus claim. Therefore, all issues related to secondary service connection for erectile dysfunction, depression, hypertension, peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, and diabetic retinopathy will be remanded for further development.

The Board has granted service connection for a cervical spine disorder, thoracolumbar spine disorder, and peripheral neuropathy of the left leg. The Veteran's appeal is now complete with regard to these issues.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's currently diagnosed left eye optic atrophy had its onset in service or is proximately due to or the result of a service-connected disability, and thus grants service connection for residuals of a left eye injury.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including a supplemental opinion from the VA examiner regarding the September 2006 physician's statement and whether the Veteran's neurological symptoms are secondarily related to his service-connected low back disability.

The Board has determined that there is no current evidence of peripheral neuropathy in the Veteran's lower extremities, and thus service connection cannot be granted.

The Veteran's TDIU claim has been granted due to his service-connected disabilities making him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's service-connected residuals of a left elbow injury are manifested by mild paralysis of the ulnar nerve, warranting a 10 percent disability rating.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for a left leg disability, which he contends resulted from rabies treatment in service. The case was previously remanded to obtain information about the vaccine used during his service. A new VA examination found peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity but did not provide an opinion on its etiology.