Peripheral neuropathy decisions — 2019

The Veteran's hypertension is granted as service connected due to exposure to herbicides. Other claims are remanded for further development.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the right and left lower extremities has been dismissed. The appeals seeking entitlement to service connection for residuals of kidney cancer, a right knee disability, an acquired psychiatric condition (including PTSD), and a right lower extremity disability have been remanded.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection on the merits has been dismissed due to his death.

The Board denied service connection for all claimed conditions, including diabetes mellitus Type II, peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, hypertension, coronary artery disease status post stent placement, pancreatic cancer, and background diabetic retinopathy, as they were not incurred or aggravated by service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions have been denied. The Board found no new and material evidence to reopen the claims, and did not find any of the conditions were related to service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and evidence review. The issues include back disability, headaches (undiagnosed illness), left upper extremity peripheral neuropathy (undiagnosed illness), right upper extremity neuropathy (undiagnosed illness), right lower extremity radiculopathy (undiagnosed illness), and left lower extremity radiculopathy (undiagnosed illness).

Your appeal has been dismissed because the appellant's authorized representative requested to withdraw the appeal.

The Veteran's service connection claims for ischemic heart disease, diabetes mellitus type II, multiple myeloma, and peripheral neuropathy of bilateral lower extremities are all granted due to herbicide exposure during his service in Thailand.,His claim to reopen the previously denied claim of service connection for residuals of hepatitis is also granted.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various lower and upper extremity neuropathies due to insufficient information regarding his Reserve duty dates, medical records completeness, and Line of Duty Determinations.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have prevented him from securing and following substantially gainful employment since June 1, 2007. The Board has granted an effective date of June 1, 2007 for the TDIU on an extraschedular basis.

The Board has granted service connection for prostate cancer, diabetes mellitus, and neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities as secondary to service-connected diabetes mellitus. Service connection was denied for a pulmonary disorder (claimed as asbestosis).

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened, but the Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine if he served in Vietnam and was exposed to herbicides. The claims are being remanded for this purpose.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for further development regarding his diabetes and peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities. Specifically, a VA examination will be scheduled to determine if the Veteran should curtail both occupational and recreational activities due to his diabetes, and another examiner will distinguish between symptoms associated with peripheral neuropathy and peripheral circulatory disorder.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for service-connected depressive disorder is granted, and his claims for service connection for tinnitus, headaches, diabetes mellitus, high blood pressure, bilateral lower extremity neuropathy, and obstructive sleep apnea are all denied. The Veteran's TDIU claim is also granted.

The Veteran's hypertension, bilateral foot condition (to include pes planus, plantar fasciitis and arthritis), toe condition, hip condition, knee condition, ankle condition, cervical spine condition, lumbar spine condition, BUE peripheral neuropathy, BLE peripheral neuropathy, sinus condition, and gout were not incurred in or aggravated by service. The Veteran's bilateral foot condition is related to his period of service.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to the need for a VA examination to explore the etiology of the Veteran's diagnosed peripheral neuropathies, specifically whether they are related to his in-service falciparum malaria.

The Board has dismissed all claims for service connection as the Veteran died during the appeal process.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus effective September 23, 2008. The Veteran's claim was reopened in September 2004, but the date of entitlement is October 2012 when a VA examination provided positive nexus opinions.

The Board has denied an earlier effective date for SMC based on aid and attendance, finding that the Veteran was not in need of regular aid and assistance prior to October 22, 2013. The remaining claims are remanded due to procedural issues and the need for additional examinations.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for left upper extremity neuropathy was granted, but the notice of disagreement regarding this issue was not timely filed. The claim is now reopened due to new and material evidence submitted in August 2012. It is determined that the Veteran's left upper arm neuropathy is proximately due to his service-connected coronary artery disease.