Peripheral neuropathy decisions — 2019

The Board has remanded the Veteran's appeals for increased disability ratings for his service-connected left and right lower extremity sciatic peripheral neuropathy, as well as his eligibility for financial assistance in purchasing a vehicle or automobile adaptive equipment. The appeals are being remanded due to the need for additional VA examination to assess the current severity of these conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for kidney disease, but has remanded the issues of diabetes mellitus type II, right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, and residuals of a left hip replacement due to duty-related aggravation.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for non-diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the right and left lower extremities due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the etiology of his conditions.

The Veteran's initial rating for Parkinson's disease with right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy is denied. SMC based on loss of use of a creative organ is granted. The issue of entitlement to TDIU from August 21, 2012 to November 13, 2014 is remanded.

The Board denied service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the right and left lower extremities as there was no evidence linking these conditions to military service or a service-connected disability.

Service connection is granted for diabetes mellitus, type II and prostate cancer to include as secondary to herbicide exposure.,Service connection is granted for eye disability (glaucoma) and skin disability to include service-connected disabilities or herbicide exposure.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected left elbow ulnar neuropathy, finding that the disability is not more accurately described as moderate incomplete paralysis and most consistent with a 10 percent disability rating.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for diabetic peripheral neuropathy of both lower extremities due to a lack of retrospective medical evidence.

The Board has granted an earlier effective date of February 11, 2016 for the grant of service connection for bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy as secondary to service-connected type II diabetes mellitus.

The Board has remanded the case due to an issue regarding the Veteran's combat service and the award of the Combat Action Ribbon. The appellant is seeking service connection for various conditions, but the appeal will be reconsidered with additional information about the Veteran's claimed combat service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including diabetes type II, coronary artery disease, bilateral peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, and mood disorder, preclude him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation. The Board granted his TDIU claim based on this finding.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including diabetes and peripheral neuropathy in all extremities, are found to render him unable to maintain regular substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's vertigo, sinus infection, bilateral hearing loss, diabetes mellitus type II, peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, and voiding dysfunction are not related to military service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including diabetes mellitus, type II (DMII), peripheral neuropathy, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, hypothyroidism, and retinopathy are being remanded due to the need to verify in-service herbicide agent exposure.,A new claim of service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder is also being remanded.

The Veteran's allergic rhinitis is not compensable as there are no polyps or significant nasal obstruction.,Bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome was not incurred during service and is not related to any in-service injury, event, or disease. The condition began many years after separation from active duty.,Obstructive sleep apnea was not diagnosed during service and the Veteran did not have a CPAP machine prescribed for this condition while on active duty.,Diabetic nephropathy with hypertension is not considered to be proximately due to, the result of, or aggravated beyond its natural progression by service-connected disability. The Veteran does not meet the requirement of presumed herbicide exposure as per 38 C.F.R. § 3.309(e).,Bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy is not considered to be proximately due to, the result of, or aggravated beyond its natural progression by service-connected disability.,Bilateral upper extremity peripheral neuropathy is not considered to be proximately due to, the result of, or aggravated beyond its natural progression by service-connected disability.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to an inadequate VA medical opinion regarding the Veteran's peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities, specifically related to exposure at Camp Lejeune. The Veteran must be provided a new VA opinion to address whether his current condition is etiologically related to his in-service exposure.

The Board has determined that additional evidence is needed to properly evaluate the Veteran's service-connected diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, including the femoral nerve and sciatic nerve. The case is being remanded for further development.

The Board has granted service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the right and left lower extremities, attributing it to exposure to Agent Orange during service.

The Veteran's service-connected diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the right and left legs is currently rated at 20 percent each, but no higher.,Further development is needed to determine if a higher evaluation is warranted.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for right foot peripheral neuropathy, left foot peripheral neuropathy, and toe nail condition were denied as the evidence did not support a direct relationship to his military service.