Peripheral neuropathy decisions — 2013

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, DM, peripheral neuropathies, and ED, render him unemployable due to his physical and mental limitations.

The Board found no evidence of Agent Orange exposure and thus could not establish service connection for the Veteran's claimed conditions based on herbicide exposure. The claims were denied.

The Board finds that the evidence is in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's current peripheral neuropathy is etiologically related to his service-connected hypogammaglobulinemia, and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claims for diabetes, nephropathy with voiding dysfunction, neuropathy of the lower and upper extremities, retinopathy, erectile dysfunction, hypertension, and coronary artery disease are all denied as there is no evidence of in-service exposure to herbicides or other service connection criteria met.

The Board denied service connection for the claimed conditions as a result of herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's claim for non-service-connected disability pension benefits was granted effective June 15, 2006. The Board found that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for an earlier effective date due to his employment status and medical conditions.

The Veteran requested to withdraw his appeal for service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, which has been granted.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for the issues of hypertension, renal dysfunction, bilateral hearing loss disability, sleep apnea, hypoxia, hypersomnia, diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy of the upper extremities and peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities prior to the Board's decision.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable evaluation for his service-connected lumbar strain has been denied as the disability does not meet the criteria for any higher rating under VA's General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine.

The Veteran's peripheral neuropathy of the left side was not incurred or aggravated by service, including exposure to herbicide agents in Vietnam. The Board found insufficient evidence to establish a direct connection and denied presumptive service connection based on Agent Orange exposure.

The Board found that the Veteran's left upper extremity disability, including brachial plexus disability, peripheral neuropathy, Parsonage-Turner syndrome, and hereditary neuralgic amyotrophy, was not incurred in or aggravated by service.

The Veteran's service-connected coronary artery disease requiring coronary artery bypass grafting is found to have aggravated his left cutaneous saphenous nerve dysfunction, which in turn caused a neurologic disability of the left leg. Service connection for this condition is granted.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for peripheral neuropathy of the right and left upper extremities are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining VA outpatient records and scheduling a new examination.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral foot disability, including bilateral plantar fasciitis, bilateral chronic plantar and calcaneal spurs, and neuropathy to the toes and balls of the feet is being remanded due to inadequate examination report. The examiner must provide an opinion on whether any diagnosed condition is related to active service or any incident of service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the upper extremities was denied, and his SMC claim is pending as he has a service-connected disability rated at 60%.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD, finding that the Veteran's current diagnosis is due to a documented stressor event during his period of active service. The bilateral hand disorder and hypertension are not considered service-connected.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining an etiological opinion regarding his claimed peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities.

The Board found that the Veteran's complaints of weakness, numbness, and decreased sensation in his left upper extremity were not incurred or aggravated by service. The diagnosis was left ulnar neuropathy, which is a distinct condition from shoulder subluxations and chest deformities.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is rated at 20 percent, effective from the date of the June 2009 rating decision. He also received separate ratings for right and left sciatic nerve impairment.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities and peripheral vascular disease were not incurred or aggravated by service, nor are they proximately due to or the result of a service-connected disability.