Peripheral neuropathy decisions — 2013

The Veteran's hypertension and diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the left leg and foot are not shown to be related to service or due to his service-connected diabetes mellitus, type II. The claims must be remanded for further development.

The Board has remanded the case for further review due to new evidence submitted by the Veteran. The issue of service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity, including due to exposure to Agent Orange, will be reconsidered.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have a diagnosed neurological disability of the upper extremities and his symptoms, such as numbness and tingling in the fingertips, were not related to any diagnosed disability of the upper extremities. The Board concluded that service connection for an upper extremity peripheral neuropathy disability has not been met.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and effective dates have been denied. The appeal is dismissed as the Veteran has withdrawn his appeals on several issues.

The Veteran's appeal was withdrawn prior to the Board's decision.,Service connection for diabetes mellitus is denied as there is no evidence of a diagnosis of type II diabetes and it did not manifest within one year after service separation. There is also no evidence linking the condition to herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, diabetes mellitus, and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities, render him unemployable due to his mental health conditions.

The Veteran is granted a 10 percent rating for left knee patellofemoral syndrome and laxity, effective August 4, 2010. The Veteran's right eye optic neuropathy remains at 10 percent since November 7, 2011.

The Veteran has additional disability consisting of peripheral neuropathy below the left knee, which was caused by a VA surgical treatment on September 14, 2005. The Board finds that this event was not reasonably foreseeable and grants compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have service connection for type II diabetes mellitus or peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his active service.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection and increased rating have been dismissed due to his death during the pendency of the appeal.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities and for obtaining any outstanding VA outpatient treatment records.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals for the claims of service connection for a hiatal hernia, subacute peripheral neuropathy, and chloracne. As such, these issues are dismissed.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right leg, left leg, and bilateral foot disorders are not related to his military service.

The Veteran is granted service connection for residuals of injury to the right upper extremity, including lateral epicondylitis and wrist tenosynovitis, as these conditions are found to be due to an in-service injury.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for lumbar and cervical spine disabilities, bilateral upper and lower extremity radiculopathy and/or neuropathy, and sleep apnea. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred or aggravated by active duty service.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 50 percent, reflecting occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity due to symptoms such as depressed mood, anxiety, and difficulty in understanding complex commands. The claim for an increased rating for PTSD is granted.

The Veteran's erectile dysfunction is found to be related to his service-connected diabetes mellitus. The claims for thoracic spine disability and hepatitis have been reopened due to the submission of new evidence that relates to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate these claims.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral knee disability, paresthesia and numbness of the bilateral lower extremities (claimed as 'peripheral neuropathy'), and paresthesia and numbness of the left upper extremity (claimed as 'peripheral neuropathy'). The Veteran was also denied an initial compensable evaluation for his hearing loss. Finally, he was denied TDIU due to service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional medical records and to ensure full compliance with the duty to assist. The issues include rating increases for PTSD, diabetes mellitus, coronary artery disease, and hearing loss.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is being remanded due to the need for additional medical examination and treatment records.