Peripheral neuropathy decisions — 2014

The Board has determined that the Veteran's currently diagnosed Churg-Strauss syndrome did not begin during or was otherwise caused by his active service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran was not exposed to Agent Orange during his service in Thailand and therefore cannot establish a claim for service connection based on herbicide exposure. The preponderance of evidence is against finding any direct or secondary service connection for the claimed conditions.

The Veteran's cold injury residuals and associated peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities are currently rated at 30 percent each, with separate ratings for the right and left lower extremities. The Veteran is granted increased ratings to a combined 40 percent rating for both conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral lower extremity neuropathy as secondary to the service-connected diabetes mellitus. The Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for bilateral upper extremity neuropathy is remanded due to a need for additional VA examination and development.

The Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy of the right and left lower extremities, and erectile dysfunction are currently rated as 20%, 10%, 10%, and 0% respectively. The Board finds that these ratings adequately reflect the severity of his disabilities.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for latent diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities, erectile dysfunction, and hypertension as not related to active military service.

The Veteran's hypertension, heart disease, and residuals of a CVA are service connected. The cause of the Veteran's death is also service connected.

The Board has granted service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities as secondary to diabetes mellitus.

The Veteran's service connection claim for CIDP of the bilateral upper and lower extremities is granted as his condition is presumed to be related to his exposure to herbicides during his Vietnam service.

The Veteran was granted a 10% disability rating for demyelinating peripheral neuropathy of each lower extremity effective from August 11, 2000.,However, the effective date cannot be earlier than August 11, 2000.

The Veteran's bilateral ankle condition and idiopathic polyneuropathy of both lower extremities are found to be related to his service-connected degenerative changes of the lumbar spine with history of herniated disc.

The Board found that the appellant's period of service from November 5, 1968 to December 9, 1973 was terminated under other than honorable conditions due to willful and persistent misconduct. As a result, his claim for service connection is denied.

The Veteran's claimed conditions were not shown during active duty service, within one year of discharge, and are not related to service or toxic herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining outstanding treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to assess the impact of her service-connected disabilities on her ability to engage in substantially gainful employment. The TDIU claim will be readjudicated after all development.

The Board found that the Veteran's diagnosed neuropathy of the right hand (cubital tunnel syndrome) is not shown to have been manifested in service and is not otherwise attributable to his active service, including as secondary to a service-connected disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's diabetes mellitus is service connected, and his peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities are also service connected.

The Veteran's service connection claim for peripheral neuropathy is granted due to presumed exposure to herbicides during his Vietnam service.

The Veteran meets the schedular criteria for TDIU due to his service-connected disabilities, which likely preclude him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to outstanding medical records and the need for new VA examinations. The issues include service connection for lumbar strain, bilateral lower extremity neuropathy, a psychiatric disorder, right knee patellar enthesopathy, left knee chondromalacia patella, and TDIU.

The Veteran's TDIU was granted effective January 15, 2008 due to his service-connected right shoulder disability. The date of entitlement arose on the date he stopped working full-time in January 2008.