Peripheral neuropathy decisions — 2012

The Board found that the Veteran's peripheral neuropathy did not have its onset during service and is unrelated to an injury or disease, including exposure to Agent Orange, during active service.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for peripheral neuropathy, which she believes is secondary to her service-connected diabetes mellitus. The VA has not provided a thorough examination or opinion regarding the etiology of her claimed condition.

The Veteran's right forearm disability was initially rated as 10 percent disabling prior to June 7, 2011. As of that date, the rating was increased to 20 percent.,Effective June 7, 2011, the Veteran is entitled to a 20 percent rating for his right forearm disability.

The Veteran was employed on a full-time basis until July 18, 2007. Therefore, his service-connected conditions did not prevent him from securing or following substantially gainful employment prior to that date.

The Veteran's claims for diabetes mellitus, impotence, and bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy were denied as there is no evidence of service connection or exposure to herbicides. The Board found that the preponderance of the evidence did not support these claims.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development of the record, including obtaining medical records and scheduling examinations to address his claims of VA negligence in performing surgery and service connection for right knee osteoarthritis.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further evaluation of his service-connected disabilities, specifically peripheral neuropathy of both lower extremities. The case will be reconsidered after the additional examination.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for right knee disability, hypertension, headaches, loss of memory, bilateral eye disability, peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities, otitis media, and meningitis. The new evidence received since the January 2004 decisions relates to the basis for the prior denials.

The Veteran's right ulnar neuropathy is rated at 30 percent disabling, which does not meet the criteria for a higher initial disability rating. The scars of the right forearm and hip do not meet the criteria for separate compensable ratings under current regulations.

The Veteran's tinnitus is attributable to his noise exposure during active service and the Board has found that the evidence in favor of the claim is at least in equipoise with that against it. The claims for PTSD and peripheral neuropathy are remanded for additional development.

The Veteran's claim for a TDIU rating is being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and development of records. The issues include service connection for multiple disabilities, including right knee, left knee, right shoulder, left shoulder, respiratory disorder, anemia, and edema of lower extremities.

The Board has found that additional development is needed to obtain outstanding private treatment records from the Veteran's identified physicians. The appeal will be remanded for this purpose.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine the cause of the Veteran's death and whether his service-connected disabilities contributed to it. The case will be returned for further action.

The Board has ordered a remand to obtain additional medical evidence and an examination to determine if the Veteran's peripheral neuropathy is related to service, including exposure to herbicides or his service-connected varicose veins.

The Board has determined that a new VA examination is necessary to clarify the nature and likely etiology of the Veteran's claimed peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity, including as secondary to his service-connected diabetes mellitus.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities, diabetic retinopathy, and coronary artery disease. The decision also addressed silicosis but did not provide a rating or effective date.

The Board is remanding the case for further development, including obtaining VA medical records and scheduling a VA examination to determine the etiology of any current eye disorder and whether it is related to service-connected diabetes mellitus.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and the Board finds that his claim for TDIU is warranted on a schedular basis.

The Veteran was granted a combined disability rating of 70 percent for service-connected disabilities effective August 25, 2005. The Board found that the Veteran met the criteria for TDIU as of this date and confirmed the effective date of January 17, 2006.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for a higher combined rating on account of service-connected disabilities under 38 C.F.R. � 4.25, finding that his combined ratings were accurately calculated both in the June 1998 rating decision and in the February 2012 rating decision.