Peripheral neuropathy decisions — 2020

The Board denied service connection for bilateral knee disability, cervical spine disability, lumbar spine disability, peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities and right upper extremity, hypertension, and arthritis.,There is no evidence showing that any of these conditions began during active service or within one year after separation.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions have been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a relationship between any of these conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for TBI, neck spine disorder, neuropathy/radiculopathy of the arms, migraine headaches, and impaired vision is granted. However, his claim for bilateral hearing loss remains denied.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further action on several issues, including service connection claims and evaluations of various conditions. The July 2003 rating decision denying service connection for residuals of a right brachial plexus injury was not found to be clearly and unmistakably erroneous.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for a right eye disability, effective date for TDIU and DEA benefits, and service connection for diabetes mellitus (secondary to herbicide exposure). The Veteran's current right eye disabilities are not related to his active service.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for swelling of the right and left lower extremities, including peripheral neuropathy, as well as fatigue syndrome due to lack of VA examination and incomplete medical records.

The Veteran's bilateral lower extremity diabetic peripheral neuropathy is rated at 40 percent since August 30, 2012. The Board denied increased ratings above this level for both LLE and RLE diabetic peripheral neuropathy.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for peripheral neuropathy in multiple extremities due to a lack of sufficient evidence and need for further development.

The Board has remanded the cases due to insufficient examination reports and the need for further clarification of the current severity of the service-connected lower extremity diabetic femoral and sciatic nerve neuropathy.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD and peripheral neuropathy of all four extremities rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation prior to December 5, 2014.

The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of compliance with prior remand directives and the need for a TDIU opinion. The Veteran is required to complete VA Form 21-8940, and any outstanding treatment records should be secured.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions do not render him unable to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment, as his hearing loss, tinnitus, and Meniere’s disease did not prevent him from working as an attorney.

The Board has determined that the Veteran is unable to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities, resulting in a grant of TDIU.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current disability associated with pain and weakness of the bilateral legs or left foot neuropathy, and thus service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a skin disorder and left lower extremity neuropathy, finding that there is no evidence of such conditions being related to his military service or herbicide exposure.

The Board has remanded the claims for kidney disease, hypertension, and peripheral and median neuropathy of the upper right and left extremities due to outstanding VA treatment records. The RO is instructed to obtain these records and provide a formal finding if they do not exist.

The Board denied higher ratings for the Veteran's bilateral lower extremity diabetic peripheral neuropathy, sciatic nerve, as they did not meet the criteria for a rating greater than 10 percent prior to July 6, 2016 and greater than 20 percent after that date.

The Veteran's low back disorder is denied as the evidence does not show a relationship to service or arthritis manifested within one year of separation.,Anemia, middle finger left hand vascular calcification, peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, and an acquired psychiatric disorder are all remanded for further evaluation due to secondary service connection claims.,The Veteran's TDIU claim is also remanded as it is inextricably intertwined with the above issues.

The Board has determined that remand is necessary to verify the Veteran's herbicide agent exposure and to obtain an addendum opinion regarding the etiology of his peripheral neuropathy.

The Board has granted service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities, finding that the evidence is in equipoise that these conditions are related to the Veteran's active duty service, including exposure to herbicide agents like Agent Orange.