Peripheral neuropathy decisions — 2018

The Board dismissed the appeal due to the Veteran's death, and no merits decision was made.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining an opinion on the etiology of the Veteran's glaucoma and prostate disability. The rating for seborrheic dermatitis and tinea barbae is also being remanded.

The Board has granted service connection for residuals of a left-hand injury manifested by neuropathy and bilateral pes planus, finding that the Veteran's conditions are related to his active service.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that the preponderance of evidence is against a link between current hearing loss and in-service noise exposure.,The Board remanded the claim for peripheral neuropathy due to Agent Orange exposure, noting insufficient rationale for the VA examiner's opinion and requesting further clarification from medical opinions provided by Drs. M.H. and N.S.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for goiter, post-operative residuals of a thyroidectomy, and bilateral lower extremity neuropathy due to ionizing radiation exposure has been granted. The Board found that the evidence is in relative equipoise as to whether or not these conditions are related to his inservice radiation exposure.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD with MDD warranted a TDIU rating, and his other service-connected disabilities combined to more than 60 percent. The Board found clear and unmistakable error in the December 2010 rating decision that failed to award SMC at the (s) rate due to CUE.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for erectile dysfunction, hypertension, and tinnitus. The claim for neuropathy of the bilateral hands and fingers is denied due to lack of diagnosis. The claim for neuropathy of the bilateral feet is also denied. The claim for a lumbar spine disorder remains pending.

The Veteran's skin and nail disability on the feet, including tinea pedis and tinea unguium, right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, and pilonidal cyst with residual scar are all granted. The Veteran is assigned a 10% rating for his pilonidal cyst.

The Board denied service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, finding no evidence of a nexus to service or herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for ilioinguinal nerve neuropathy is denied as the current 10% rating is the maximum allowed under VA regulations. The Veteran's TDIU claim is granted due to his service-connected persistent depressive disorder.

The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, diabetic retinopathy, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper extremities, and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities as secondary to diabetes mellitus due to a lack of evidence showing herbicide exposure during service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied due to lack of prior formal or informal claims before March 30, 2011.,The effective dates for the grants of service connection are set at March 30, 2010 and March 30, 2011 respectively.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims due to insufficient evidence and need for further examination. The left knee disability claim is being remanded for a new VA examination, while the neuropathy of the left hand and hemorrhoids claims are also being remanded for additional development including obtaining service treatment records.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine the etiology of various disabilities and to obtain relevant VA treatment records. The claims for service connection are being remanded.

The Board has remanded the cases due to insufficient opinions regarding whether the Veteran's exposure to herbicide agents caused his multiple myeloma and peripheral neuropathy. The issues are inextricably intertwined with the cause of death claim.

The Veteran's claims for service connection on multiple conditions have been dismissed due to his death.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied as there was no earlier effective date than August 8, 2014, the date her claim was received.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, diabetes mellitus, and ischemic heart disease, have rendered him unemployable due to his inability to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the claim of service connection for bilateral pes planus. The Veteran's bilateral pes planus is being remanded due to a lack of a VA examination, as well as the need for an opinion regarding whether his peripheral neuropathy of the feet is related to his bilateral pes planus.

The Board has remanded four issues for further development and examination: back disability, bilateral foot disability, diabetes, and neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities. The Veteran asserts that his disabilities are related to service, particularly exposure to herbicides in Vietnam.