Peripheral neuropathy decisions — 2020

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from securing and following substantially gainful employment.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient medical opinions and missing STRs. The Veteran's lumbar spine disorder and right leg radiculopathy/neuropathy are being reviewed again with additional evidence.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for cluster headaches, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper extremities, and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities due to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. The TDIU claim is also being remanded.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, diabetes mellitus, an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD, depression, and anxiety), hypertension, lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, blurred vision, and erectile dysfunction due to procedural issues.

The Board has granted service connection for early-onset lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, finding that the Veteran's symptoms are at least as likely as not related to his active duty service in Vietnam. The decision is based on evidence of herbicide exposure and continuity of symptomatology.

The Board has denied service connection for right lower extremity, left lower extremity, right upper extremity, and left upper extremity peripheral neuropathy due to presumed exposure to herbicide agents in Vietnam. The Veteran's claims are based on the presumption of service connection for certain diseases associated with herbicide exposure.

The Board denied service connection for the claimed conditions, finding no evidence of actual or presumed exposure to herbicide agents during service and thus not meeting the criteria for presumptive service connection.

The Board has denied service connection for the Veteran's claimed musculoskeletal and neurological conditions, finding that they are not proximately due to or aggravated by her service-connected lumbosacral spine strain.

The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that the preponderance of evidence did not support a conclusion that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities caused or contributed to his death.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection of various disabilities, including left knee, right shoulder, spine, cervical myelopathy, and neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities, as secondary to the service-connected right knee disability. The claims are being returned for further development.

The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings for various diabetic complications has been dismissed due to his death.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete medical opinions and further development is needed.

The VA denied the Veteran's claims for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 and TDIU due to his left hip arthroplasty, finding no evidence of negligence or carelessness on the part of VA in causing his symptoms.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence regarding his exposure to herbicide agents and asbestos. The Veteran is also required to provide any outstanding treatment records.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to herbicide agent exposure, as there is new evidence added to the record and a request must be made to verify the Veteran's reported exposure near the Korean DMZ.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) prior to December 9, 2016 due to lack of evidence showing that his service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's claim for service connection has been reopened, and the Board has remanded three issues: peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities, testicular tumor, and a pancreatic disability. The VA is directed to schedule examinations to determine etiology.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to obtain and retain substantially gainful employment.

The Board denied service connection for DM2, DR, ED, and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities as they were not incurred or aggravated by active duty service.,The Veteran's claims for secondary service connection to DM2 were also denied.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to a lack of VA medical evidence and an inadequate statement of reasons or bases. The case will be remanded to obtain additional VA treatment records, conduct new examinations, and provide opinions on the relationship between the Veteran's conditions and his presumed in-service herbicide agent exposure.