Peripheral neuropathy decisions — 2016

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including scheduling a VA examination and obtaining any outstanding private treatment records. The Veteran's peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities will be evaluated to determine if it is related to his military service or herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's appeal was withdrawn as to the issue of entitlement to a neck disorder or degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine with radiculopathy. The Board finds that the evidence supports service connection for neurological impairment of the bilateral upper extremities, including neuropathy, radiculopathy and carpel tunnel syndrome.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the left and right lower extremities, to include as secondary to exposure to herbicides, are being remanded due to incomplete medical records and need for additional examination.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities is not related to his service-connected lumbar strain with spondylosis, and thus cannot be granted service connection. The Veteran's current disability rating for his lumbar strain with spondylosis remains at 20 percent.

The Board has remanded the case due to the Veteran's failure to report for a requested hearing, and he is given another opportunity to attend.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for further development regarding his exposure to environmental toxins and herbicides during service.

The Veteran's claims for COPD, diabetes mellitus, erectile dysfunction, and bilateral hand neuropathy are being remanded due to the need for additional development including medical examinations.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA outpatient treatment records and readjudicating the claims.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not meet the criteria for service connection for any of the claimed conditions, including right foot pain, left leg pain, inability to walk fast, inability to put pressure on fingers, right ankle disability, back disability, tendonitis of the left elbow, bilateral hearing loss disorder, psychiatric disability (claimed as bipolar disorder), diabetes mellitus, visual acuity disorder (claimed as secondary to diabetes mellitus), peripheral neuropathy of the upper extremities (claimed as secondary to diabetes mellitus), and kidney failure (claimed as secondary to diabetes mellitus).

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is rated at 20 percent effective September 14, 2015. The condition results in flexion to 80 degrees with muscle spasm resulting in an abnormal spinal contour.

The Veteran's peripheral neuropathy of both the right and left lower extremities is currently rated at 10 percent each, with no higher evaluations warranted based on the current evidence.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine were granted increased ratings, while service connection for peripheral neuropathy was established. The Veteran also received a TDIU rating since November 25, 2011.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for lower extremity neuropathy and granted it. The Veteran's upper extremity neuropathy is also found to be related to his in-service herbicide exposure, warranting service connection.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed as he and his representative have withdrawn the appeal.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral knee disabilities are found to have caused his adjustment disorder with depressed mood.,Diabetes mellitus, type II is not shown to be related to service or any incident therein.

The Board has granted service connection for erectile dysfunction as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus, type II. The other issues on appeal are addressed in the remand portion of this decision.

The Veteran's claim for non-service-connected pension benefits was denied because he did not have the requisite wartime service to establish basic eligibility.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including an acquired psychiatric disorder, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, arteriosclerotic heart disease, and peripheral neuropathies are denied as the evidence does not support a finding that any of these conditions were incurred or aggravated by active duty service.

The Board found that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not prevent him from securing or following substantially gainful employment prior to May 24, 2013.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus, bilateral feet peripheral neuropathy, and bilateral vision loss as well as his claim for residuals of a right lower leg amputation. The appeals were all denied due to lack of new and material evidence.