Peripheral neuropathy decisions — 2011

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for further development and consideration, including obtaining additional medical opinions regarding his employability due to service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's PTSD has been granted a 100% disability rating, the highest available. The issue of service connection for peripheral neuropathy was withdrawn by the Veteran through his attorney.

The Veteran's left upper extremity neuropathy has been rated at 20% since September 10, 2008. The appeal is granted for this rating.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have hearing loss or a neck disability and peripheral neuropathy that are attributable to his active military service.

The Board denied increased ratings for the Veteran's peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities, finding that his disabilities did not meet or approximate the criteria for a disability evaluation in excess of 10 percent.

The Veteran's peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities is rated based on severity, with no indication of complete paralysis or marked muscular atrophy. The current ratings are denied as they do not meet the criteria for higher evaluations.

The Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus is rated at 20 percent, and separate ratings of 10 percent each for peripheral neuropathy of the right and left lower extremities are granted.

The Veteran's claims for diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities, and chronic venous insufficiency (claimed as leg ulcers) due to herbicide exposure in Vietnam are denied.

The Board found that the submitted evidence did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the Veteran's claim for service connection for peripheral neuropathy, and thus denied the reopening of his claim.

The Veteran's cardiac disability, specifically coronary artery disease and myocardial infarction, is granted as service-connected due to presumed exposure to herbicides. The other conditions are not currently service-connected.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeal regarding the increased evaluation for peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity and left lower extremity.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for depression, hypertension (claimed as secondary to diabetes mellitus), bilateral upper and lower extremity peripheral neuropathy (claimed as secondary to diabetes mellitus), erectile dysfunction (claimed as secondary to diabetes mellitus or hypogonadism), and hypogonadism (claimed as secondary to Agent Orange exposure) have all been denied. The Veteran's depression is already service-connected through his PTSD, and hypertension does not meet the criteria for presumptive service connection.

The Board found no evidence of service connection for the claimed conditions, including diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy, hypertension, and coronary artery disease. The Veteran's claims were denied as there was insufficient medical evidence to support a link between his current conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's claims for higher initial evaluations for her service-connected ulnar neuropathy and lichen simplex eczema are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including medical examinations.

The Veteran's intervertebral disc syndrome is currently rated at 40 percent, effective from November 19, 1999. The right lower extremity neuropathy has been rated as 10 percent since that date.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The reduction of the rating for bilateral maxillary sinusitis was upheld, but her claim for an increased rating for allergic rhinitis was denied.,Her request to reopen a claim for service connection for painful elbows, wrists and fingers was denied as new evidence did not establish a link with service.

The Veteran's peripheral neuropathy of the right and left lower extremities is currently rated at 20 percent, which represents a full grant of his claim for increased ratings.,Service connection has been established for urinary incontinence as secondary to service-connected adenocarcinoma of the prostate. Service connection for hypertension has also been granted.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including diabetes mellitus (DM), right below-knee amputation associated with cellulitis and gangrene, left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, and erectile dysfunction, are found to render him unemployable. The RO is directed to schedule the Veteran for a VA examination to assess his current employability due to these disabilities.

The Veteran's claim for PTSD was granted, as he provided sufficient evidence to establish the occurrence of his claimed stressors and meet all other criteria for service connection. The peripheral neuropathy claim is remanded for further action.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were granted, with the exception of the claim for left shoulder and arm pain. The other conditions have been found to be directly related to his military service.