Peripheral neuropathy decisions — 2020

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of direct service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus and musculoskeletal disabilities are found to be the primary cause of his obstructive sleep apnea, which is granted as secondary.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection of peripheral neuropathy of both upper extremities due to a withdrawal request by the Veteran's attorney.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for financial assistance for automobile or other conveyance and adaptive equipment, as his conditions do not result in loss of use of a hand or foot, permanent impairment of both eyes, severe burn injury, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ankylosis of a knee or hip.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for a psychiatric disability, claimed as depression, has been withdrawn.,Service connection for hepatitis C and liver disease was denied due to lack of evidence linking the conditions to service or secondary to another condition. New and material evidence was not received to reopen these claims.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss but has remanded the issue of service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities due to lack of in-service evidence of a threshold shift.

The Veteran's initial claims for service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper extremities were received on May 2, 2018. The effective date assigned to the award of service connection is April 24, 2018.,The Veteran filed a notice of disagreement with the effective dates assigned to his service-connected peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper extremities but did not provide any specific arguments or identify what date he was seeking.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus, type II, is granted a 40 percent rating. The Veteran's bilateral peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities are each granted a 40 percent rating. The Veteran's erectile dysfunction does not meet criteria for a compensable rating.

The Board has remanded the cases due to inadequate medical opinions and the need for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and determining if the Veteran served in the territorial sea of Vietnam.

The Board denied service connection for a lumbar spine disability, gynecological disorder, disorders manifested by tics of the right and left leg and arm, and peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity. The reasons given were that there was no credible evidence linking these conditions to service.,The VA examinations found no current disabilities related to the claimed conditions.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral lower extremity and upper extremity neuropathy, finding no evidence of such conditions in service or within one year post-service. The Veteran's claims were based on presumed exposure to herbicides, but the Board found insufficient evidence that his current symptoms are related to this exposure.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal, and all issues on appeal have been dismissed.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings and service connection have been dismissed. The Board found that the Veteran withdrew his claims, and there were no earlier effective dates granted.

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary regarding the Veteran's claims for service connection for erectile dysfunction and right upper extremity neuropathy, as they are related to his service-connected psychiatric disorder and right shoulder disability. The cases have been remanded for further examination and opinion.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension and remanded the remaining issues on appeal due to inadequate development in previous examinations.

The Veteran's appeal for higher ratings for peripheral neuropathy of the right and left upper extremities, diabetes mellitus, type II, and PTSD with depression and anxiety is being remanded due to new evidence.,Higher disability ratings are not warranted for any of these conditions based on current medical evidence.

The Veteran's renal cell carcinoma, kidney disability (nephrectomy), peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, and thyroid disability were not shown during active duty or post-service. The evidence does not establish a causal relationship between these conditions and his service.,The Veteran died from cancer of the kidney, which was not present for several years following separation from service and is not shown to be etiologically related to his active service.

The Board has dismissed the issue of service connection for bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy as it was granted in an April 2020 RO rating decision. The issues of higher initial disability ratings for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy and peripheral neuropathy are remanded.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for parotid gland cancer and peripheral neuropathy (PN) of the upper and lower extremities have been denied. The Board found that there was no in-service incurrence or continuity of symptomatology, and did not find a direct relationship to herbicide exposure.

The Board denied service connection for right leg neuropathy as the evidence did not show an in-service injury or event on which a claim of service connection could be predicated.