Peripheral neuropathy decisions — 2017

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for chloracne, diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities, hypertension, and an eye disability due to lack of evidence showing a current diagnosis or link between these conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions, including his peripheral neuropathies and knee disabilities, did not render him unemployable for the period from March 6, 2013 to the present.

The Veteran's death pension and accrued benefits claims are dismissed as the appellant did not have a pending claim at the time of his death, nor was he entitled to any unpaid benefits.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for impotency and granted service connection based on exposure to Agent Orange. The Veteran's peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities is not presumed to be caused by Agent Orange exposure, but it is not otherwise service-connected. The heart disability is rated as supraventricular arrhythmias with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not currently have peripheral vascular disease and therefore, service connection for this condition is denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities have been denied as the evidence does not support a finding that any of these conditions began during or were caused by his military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for higher ratings for his service-connected tinnitus and hearing loss, as well as his claims for service connection for various conditions. The Veteran was granted service connection for diabetes mellitus, Type II.

The Board has ordered additional development and remanded the case for readjudication of all issues on appeal, including service connection for diabetes mellitus. The Veteran is also scheduled for a hearing before a Veterans Law Judge.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including scheduling a videoconference hearing.

The Veteran is unable to obtain and maintain substantially gainful employment due to service-connected disabilities, as his diabetes mellitus type II with retinopathy and cataracts, peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities, tinnitus, and upper extremity neuropathies have rendered him unfit for physically demanding jobs.

The Board found that the Veteran did not serve or visit on the ground, on a ship at dock or on the inland waterways of Vietnam. Therefore, there is no presumption of exposure to herbicide for service connection claims.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, which includes symptoms such as flattened affect, panic attacks more than once a week, and difficulty in understanding complex commands, has been rated at 70 percent since February 1, 2011. The effective date for the increased rating is set to February 1, 2011.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, right knee disability, left knee disability, and hypertension. The Veteran's disabilities are found to be at least as likely as not related to his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities as secondary to diabetes mellitus.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied as there was no evidence of a current disability or an in-service injury that could be linked to the claimed conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional medical records and personnel information, as well as for a new VA audiological examination. The issues of entitlement to service connection for various conditions are on appeal.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a neurological condition of the upper left extremity, including reflex sympathetic dystrophy and peripheral neuropathy, as secondary to diabetes mellitus due to his failure to report for necessary VA examinations.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for her left leg disabilities, finding that the evidence did not support a rating in excess of 10 percent.

The Veteran's appeal was denied as his claims for higher ratings were not supported by the evidence of record.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not preclude him from obtaining and maintaining gainful employment prior to February 13, 2017.