Peripheral neuropathy decisions — 2015

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevent him from obtaining or maintaining a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board found no evidence linking the Veteran's bilateral pes cavus to his active duty service and concluded that it was not caused or aggravated by any other service-connected disability. Therefore, the claim for service connection for bilateral pes cavus is denied.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability and associated neuropathy in the lower extremities are rated at 40 percent, but no higher. The evidence does not support a rating in excess of this level for any period on appeal.

The Board has remanded the case for a new VA examination to evaluate whether the Veteran has actual loss or loss of use of his right leg due to service-connected conditions, including neuropathy of the right lower extremity, arthritis of the right hip, right knee patellofemoral syndrome, and ruptured right Achilles tendon. The examiner must provide complete rationales for all opinions expressed.

The Veteran's current diabetes mellitus type II is presumed to be causally and etiologically related to in-service herbicide exposure. Service connection for diabetes mellitus type II is granted.

The Board has remanded the case due to an additional claim for service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the feet, which is inextricably intertwined with the SMC claim. The SMC claim will be reconsidered after this new issue is resolved.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and arranging a comprehensive examination of his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's service connection claims for various conditions, including a lumbar spine disability, cervical spine disability, neuropathy of the left upper extremity, and neuropathy/sciatica of the lower extremities were denied. The Board found no evidence that these disabilities had their onset in or were related to service.

The appeal is REMANDED to obtain additional medical records and for further examination.

The Board found no evidence of herbicide exposure during service, thus denying the Veteran's claims for diabetes mellitus and diabetic neuropathies secondary to such exposure.

The Board has reopened the previously denied claim of service connection for peripheral neuropathy and found that new and material evidence has been received. The Veteran's diagnosed condition is related to military service, including exposure to herbicides.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD and diabetes, prevent him from engaging in any type of substantially gainful employment consistent with his skills, education, and training.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating or service connection for any of the conditions listed.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and rating of his diabetes mellitus, type II, as well as the issues related to TDIU, special monthly compensation at the housebound rate, and DEA under Chapter 35 are being remanded due to inadequate VA examinations. The Veteran is also seeking an effective date prior to July 16, 2012.

The Veteran's PTSD is found to be related to his fear of hostile military or terrorist activity during service, and he has been diagnosed as suffering from this condition. The other claims are remanded for further development.

The Veteran's service connection claims for peripheral neuropathy of the right and left upper extremities have been denied as there is no current evidence of these conditions, and they are not shown to be related to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has remanded the case for an addendum opinion addressing whether the Veteran's current right ulnar neuropathy is caused by or aggravated by his service-connected left shoulder, left upper arm, and left ulnar neuropathy disabilities.

The Veteran's service-connected peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities has been rated at 20 percent since August 13, 2007. The Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted as his symptoms do not meet or approximate the criteria for a disability rating in excess of 20 percent.

The Veteran's claims for service connection of bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, residuals of malaria, and peripheral nerve damage of the lower extremities were granted. The Veteran was also assigned a 20 percent disability rating for his thoracolumbar strain effective September 10, 2013.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including diabetes mellitus, back disability, upper and lower extremity disorders, loss of balance, memory loss, stroke residuals, abdominal aortic aneurysm, cancer of the face (basal cell carcinoma), and duodenal or pancreatic tumor. The Board found no evidence linking these conditions to service.