Peripheral neuropathy decisions — 2015

The Veteran's claim for a bilateral foot disability, other than peripheral neuropathy, is denied as there is no evidence of such a condition during the pendency of her appeal. The remaining claims are addressed in the REMAND section.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper extremities. The evidence did not establish that his peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities manifested to a 10 percent degree within one year of separation, or was caused by service. Therefore, service connection for this condition is denied.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the award of service connection for right hand neuropathy, which was granted in February 2010 and effective August 15, 2008, is denied as there is no evidence of a prior informal or formal claim before that date.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus and peripheral neuropathy was granted with effective dates prior to January 24, 2011.,For the period prior to February 17, 2011, a 20 percent rating is assigned for diabetes mellitus.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, aside from his ischemic optic neuropathy, are of sufficient severity to warrant entitlement to SMC at the (l) level based on the need for A&A due to these disabilities alone. The claim for service connection for minimal age acquired osteoarthritis is being remanded for further development.

The Veteran's cervical spine disability, alone with the use of sedating medications or associated peripheral neuropathy of the upper extremities, has not been shown to be so exceptional or unusual as to warrant a higher rating on an extra-schedular basis.

The Board finds that the Veteran's cervical spine degenerative joint disease and bilateral upper extremity neuropathy are not related to his military service, and therefore, cannot be granted service connection.

The Board found that peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities was not incurred in or aggravated by service, may not be presumed to have been caused by a service-connected disease or injury, and is caused or aggravated by diabetes mellitus.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to the need to obtain social security records and translate foreign language documents.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of chronic inflammatory demyelinating peripheral neuropathy with loss of use of both feet was granted, and the effective date is set at June 30, 2005.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for ischemic heart disease, diabetes mellitus, and peripheral neuropathy due to exposure to Agent Orange are denied as there is no evidence of herbicide exposure during his service in Thailand.

The Board has granted initial ratings of 20 percent for peripheral neuropathy of the right and left lower extremities, effective from the date of the decision.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities and therefore, service connection for this condition is denied.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for peripheral neuropathy, claimed as due to herbicide exposure during active service, was denied. The Board found no evidence of actual herbicide exposure and the Veteran did not serve in Vietnam or its inland waterways.

The Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus type II is found to be the cause of his peripheral neuropathy of the left heel. Since August 7, 2015, he meets the criteria for a TDIU based on his combined rating.

The Board denied an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for diabetes mellitus and did not find any other issues warranting a higher initial rating or service connection.

The Veteran's right and left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy have been rated at the maximum 60 percent disability level.,The Veteran's left upper extremity peripheral neuropathy has been rated at the moderate 20 percent disability level.

The evidence does not support a finding of severe or complete paralysis of the ulnar nerve, and therefore, the Veteran's claim for an increased rating is denied.

The Veteran's neurological impairment associated with his fractured right tibia and fibula is rated as moderate incomplete paralysis of the superficial peroneal nerve, warranting a 10% rating.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the upper extremities, which he claims are secondary to his service-connected diabetes mellitus. The case has been remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions and development.