Peripheral neuropathy decisions — 2014

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have resulted in a combined rating of 80 percent, qualifying him for specially adapted housing.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and consideration of new evidence, including a recent grant of service connection for coronary artery disease.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and the case is dismissed.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated private and VA treatment records, scheduling appropriate VA examinations, and readjudicating the claims.

The Veteran's nerve damage to the left wrist is currently rated as 10 percent disabling under Diagnostic Code 8515, and a higher rating of 30 percent is granted.

The Board has granted an extraschedular rating for the Veteran's radiculopathy of the right and left lower extremities.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are of such severity as to effectively preclude all forms of substantially gainful employment for which the Veteran's education and occupational experience would otherwise qualify him, warranting a TDIU.

The Veteran's eye disorders are found to be caused by his service-connected diabetes mellitus. The Veteran's left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy is rated at 10 percent, the minimum rating for sensory involvement.

The Board has reinstated the previously assigned 60 percent rating for peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity effective March 1, 2008. The claim to reopen service connection for COPD and asthma is granted. Service connection for sleep apnea is also granted as secondary to diabetes mellitus.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral ankle and foot disabilities. However, his claims for service connection are denied as there is no medical evidence linking these disabilities to active military service or to a service-connected condition. The Veteran's current diagnoses of diabetic peripheral neuropathy have been rated at 10 percent each since March 4, 2013.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for peripheral neuropathy of both legs, finding that it is not related to his service-connected lumbar spine disabilities.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals for service connection for diabetes mellitus, type 2; hypertension as secondary to diabetes mellitus, type 2; and peripheral neuropathy, diabetic retinopathy, and erectile dysfunction as secondary to diabetes mellitus, type 2.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral ankle arthritis, bilateral peripheral neuropathy, and plantar fasciitis as these conditions are found to be related to the Veteran's active service.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the service connection claims for peripheral neuropathy of the upper extremities and a low back disorder. Service connection is established for these conditions.

The Veteran's bilateral upper extremity peripheral neuropathies have been rated as noncompensably disabling. The RO has now granted initial increased ratings of 10 percent for the Veteran's right and left upper extremity peripheral neuropathies.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have any of the claimed conditions related to his active or inactive duty service, and therefore, denied all claims for service connection.

The Veteran seeks service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, claiming it is due to herbicide exposure. The RO denied these claims as there was no evidence that the condition manifested within a year after presumed in-service exposure. The case is being remanded for further examination and development.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities meet the percentage requirements for a TDIU, and his service-connected disabilities prevent him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim of service connection for a neurological condition, finding that there is no competent evidence showing the condition had its onset during his active service or is otherwise related to his service.

The Veteran claims that his currently diagnosed bilateral peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities is related to a low back disability he had in service. The Board finds this issue is intertwined with the claim for a low back disability and must be remanded.