Peripheral neuropathy decisions — 2019

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus, type II, is presumed to have been incurred during service due to herbicide exposure.,Service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities is granted as it is at least as likely as not caused by his diabetes mellitus.,Service connection for a sleep disorder and an acquired psychiatric disorder (anxiety and depression) are denied.,The Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus, type II, is presumed to have been incurred during service due to herbicide exposure.

The Board has ordered a remand to obtain an addendum opinion addressing the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities, specifically related to exposure to chemicals during service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for eye disability, left hand neuropathy, right hand neuropathy, hypertension, and kidney disability. The preponderance of evidence is against finding that these conditions are related to his military service or a service-connected condition.

The Veteran's service connection claim for left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy is denied as the evidence does not show a relationship between his current condition and his military service.

The Veteran's dental disability is denied as there is no evidence of a current condition involving loss of substance of the maxilla or mandible, or soft tissue surrounding that region.,Service connection for restrictive lung disease is granted as it is at least as likely as not related to service-connected Parkinson’s disease.,Service connection for peripheral neuropathy is granted as it is at least as likely as not related to herbicide exposure during service.,Service connection for dementia is denied as there is no current diagnosis of dementia.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral upper and lower extremities peripheral neuropathy, to include as a result of herbicide exposure. The Veteran is seeking secondary service connection based on his service-connected diabetes mellitus type 2.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was not incurred or aggravated by service, and there is no evidence of a nexus between the current disability and military service.,Neurogenic bladder was not caused or aggravated by service. The Veteran's neurogenic bladder is believed to be related to his history of cancer treatments.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for schizophrenia and PTSD has been withdrawn.,Service connection for ischemic heart disease and Parkinson's Disease is granted based on herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral peripheral neuropathy, diabetes mellitus II, and anxiety disorder, have prevented him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation since March 22, 2010. The Board has granted the TDIU effective that date.

The Veteran's initial disability rating for tinnitus is denied as he is already in receipt of the maximum schedular disability rating.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss and diabetes mellitus, type II are both denied due to lack of evidence showing these conditions were present during service or within one year after discharge.,Diabetic neuropathy of the right lower extremity and left lower extremity is also denied as there is no evidence linking these conditions to service.,Service connection for a seizure disorder is denied based on the Veteran's denial of having such a condition.,The Veteran's claim for an initial disability rating in excess of 10 percent for migraine headaches prior to March 22, 2016 remains pending. Service connection for a lumbar spine disability and right/left knee disabilities are also pending. The Veteran's request for TDIU is also pending.

The Veteran's death was caused by service-connected conditions, including PTSD, PAD, and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities. The Board granted service connection for these conditions on this basis.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus, bilateral hearing loss, heart disease, hypertension, right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, and erectile dysfunction have been reopened. The evidence now shows a link between these conditions and the Veteran's military service.

The Board has denied the appellant's claims for increased ratings and service connection for various conditions, including tinnitus, back disability, bilateral hearing loss, PTSD, bilateral lower extremity neuropathy, diabetes mellitus, high blood pressure, and spinal meningitis. The decision also remanded several issues related to these conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining his private treatment records and scheduling VA examinations to assess the severity of his heart disability and peripheral neuropathy.

The Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for tinnitus is denied as there is no current diagnosis and the preponderance of evidence does not support a finding that his tinnitus began during service or is related to an in-service injury, event, or disease.,The Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities are denied as there is no current diagnosis and the preponderance of evidence does not support a finding that his peripheral neuropathy began during service or is related to an in-service injury, event, or disease.,The Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric condition is denied as there is no current diagnosis and the preponderance of the evidence does not support a finding that his acquired psychiatric condition began during service or is related to an in-service injury, event, or disease.

The Board has granted the appeals for service connection for hypertension, ischemic heart disease (IHD), and erectile dysfunction (ED) as secondary to service-connected sleep apnea. The appeal for bilateral peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities and diabetic retinopathy was also granted as secondary to service-connected DM.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for chronic relapsing demyelinating polyneuropathy has been reopened due to the submission of new and material evidence. The case is now remanded for a VA examination to determine if his condition is related to his military service, including exposure to herbicides.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are of such severity that they preclude substantially gainful employment, and the Board has granted a TDIU effective October 2, 2006.

The veteran died of a service-connected disability, but the appellant was over the age of 26 at the time of his death and thus is not eligible for Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) benefits under 38 U.S.C. Chapter 35.

The Board denied service connection for hypertension, neuropathy of the bilateral upper extremities, and PTSD. The Veteran's current conditions were not found to be caused or aggravated by his service-connected diabetes.