Peripheral neuropathy decisions — 2014

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed conditions are not related to his service and have denied all of his claims for service connection.

The Board found no evidence of in-country service or exposure to herbicides, and thus could not grant service connection for any conditions on that basis. The Veteran's current diagnoses were not shown to be related to his military service.

The Board found no evidence of current peripheral neuropathy or right ear hearing loss, and thus denied service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining ships logs and his complete military personnel file.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for type 2 diabetes mellitus with right and left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy was received on April 1, 2008. The effective date of this award is set at the date of receipt of the claim.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied as there was no evidence of a nexus between his claimed conditions and his military service, including exposure to herbicides. The Board found that the Veteran did not serve in Vietnam and thus could not establish presumptive service connection.

The Veteran's tinnitus had onset during service and the Board has granted service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including atherosclerotic heart disease with old myocardial infarction and diabetes mellitus, precluded him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation as of May 15, 2002. He met the threshold schedular requirements for an award of TDIU benefits under 38 C.F.R. § 4.16(a) as of that date.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss, bilateral ED, cataracts, peripheral neuropathy of the upper extremities, and venous insufficiency of the lower extremities are all denied. The Board finds that there is no evidence to support a finding that these conditions were incurred or aggravated by service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his lumbar spine disorder, peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities (to include as secondary to a lumbar spine disorder), and bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran was awarded a 30 percent evaluation for bilateral hearing loss since October 6, 2011.

The Veteran's bilateral knee disorder is not service-connected, but his muscle wasting and atrophy are related to his diabetes.,His altered gait is considered part of his service-connected degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine.

The Board found that the Veteran's peripheral neuropathy is not related to service, including exposure to Agent Orange. The preponderance of evidence does not support a finding that the condition was incurred or aggravated during service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral upper and lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, as secondary to type II diabetes mellitus, and a rating in excess of 20 percent for type II diabetes mellitus have been dismissed due to the Veteran's withdrawal prior to decision.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities have been denied as his conditions do not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation under the applicable rating schedule.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for a neurologic disorder of the lower extremities, diagnosed as lumbar spine nerve root disease, secondary to his service-connected low back disability. The claim for peripheral neuropathy is denied.

The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's claimed disabilities, including thyroid disability, skin disability, peripheral neuropathy, coldness of the feet, breathing disability, insomnia, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus, all of which were deemed not attributable to active service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and scheduling the Veteran for a new examination to assess the severity of his service-connected peripheral neuropathy.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased rating have been denied. The Board found that new evidence was received to reopen the claim of left leg peripheral neuropathy, but did not find a relationship between his current condition and service-connected diabetes mellitus or hypertension.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the left and right upper extremities due to a lack of current disability. The RO granted SMC at the housebound rate based on need for aid and attendance, but did not address this issue in the Statement of the Case.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of peripheral neuropathy of the upper extremities, and thus denied his claim for service connection.