Peripheral neuropathy decisions — 2015

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling VA examinations to address the nature and severity of his service-connected type II diabetes mellitus and peripheral neuropathy.

The Veteran seeks service connection for peripheral neuropathy in both legs, which he believes is due to his military service. The case is being remanded for additional development and expert medical opinion.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy and left leg circulatory and vascular problems, finding no evidence of a nexus to service or a service-connected condition.,The April 1993 rating decision was not found to be clearly and unmistakably erroneous. The Veteran's arguments regarding the lack of consideration of certain evidence were not sufficient to establish clear and unmistakable error.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions do not meet the criteria for a TDIU as his combined disability rating is less than 70% and he has not been found unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment due to these disabilities.

The Veteran's PTSD is manifested by symptoms such as occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity due to flattened affect, panic attacks, impaired judgment, disturbances of motivation and mood, and difficulty in establishing and maintaining effective work and social relationships. The Veteran's hypertension, sleep apnea, and TBI are etiologically related to his active duty service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining his military personnel records and verifying any exposure to herbicides.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's peripheral neuropathy. The issues include service connection for this condition based on presumed exposure to herbicides in Vietnam.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the Veteran's claims, including obtaining private treatment records and scheduling a VA examination. The claims will be remanded to allow for this development.

The Veteran's claims for diabetes, hypertension, peripheral neuropathy, colon polyps, and enlarged prostate were denied as there is no evidence of herbicide exposure in service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities is not service-connected, as it was not incurred or aggravated by his active service and is not related to his service-connected diabetes mellitus.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at the highest available rating of 70 percent since January 31, 2012. The effective date for this rating is set to that day.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to assess the severity of his service-connected bilateral peripheral neuropathy.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to be as likely as not related to his active service, and the Board grants service connection for tinnitus. Service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities is remanded due to a lack of a Statement of the Case.

The Board found that the Veteran's hearing loss, tinnitus, hypertension, and peripheral neuropathy were not incurred in or aggravated by his active service. The VA examinations did not support a finding of current disabilities for these conditions.

The Board finds that the Veteran's left superficial radial sensory neuropathy is a result of carelessness, negligence, lack of proper skill, error in judgment or similar instance of fault on VA's part in furnishing medical care during the March 24, 2005, aortogram. The resulting complications necessitated additional treatment and ultimately led to the Veteran's current condition.

The Board denied the appellant's claims for recognition as the surviving spouse of the Veteran, for the purpose of substitution or obtaining accrued benefits.

The Board has granted service connection for lumbar degenerative disc disease, finding that the Veteran's current back disability resulted from an in-service injury. The issue of left ulnar neuropathy is remanded due to inadequate VA opinion regarding presumed Agent Orange exposure.

The Board found that the Veteran's residuals of a stroke do not meet the criteria for a compensable rating on and after December 1, 2006.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection were denied as the Board found no evidence of a nexus between his claimed conditions and his active service.

The Veteran's claims are being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and providing the Veteran with an examination to determine if his current eye conditions and peripheral neuropathy are related to service.