Peripheral neuropathy decisions — 2021

The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension has been granted. The claims for hiatal hernia, acid reflux disease, and neurological conditions of the bilateral upper and lower extremities (claimed as peripheral neuropathy) have been remanded.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings of his right wrist and left leg conditions are being remanded due to the need for further development, including obtaining additional medical records and conducting examinations.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's peripheral neuropathy of the right and left upper extremities is etiologically related to his service-connected diabetes mellitus, thus granting service connection for these conditions.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for effective dates of October 31, 2003 for a 20 percent rating for his service-connected lumbar spine disability and right leg sciatic neuropathy. The earlier effective date is based on the fact that it is not factually ascertainable that an increase in severity occurred during the appeal period.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for diabetes mellitus, type II and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities have been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating for either condition.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the severity of the Veteran's left ulnar neuropathy, and a new examination is needed.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for peripheral neuropathy, left and right lower extremities due to a lack of adequate medical opinion regarding whether these conditions are aggravated by the Veteran's service-connected central nervous system disorder.

An earlier effective date of December 20, 2010 is granted for the award of an increased 70 percent disability rating for PTSD.,Earlier effective dates of February 14, 2011 are granted for the awards of increased 20 percent disability ratings for peripheral neuropathy of the right and left lower extremities.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied as the evidence did not establish a link between his current conditions and service. The Board found that diabetes was first diagnosed after separation from service, and peripheral neuropathy is not related to service or any incident therein.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral lower extremity neuropathy and a TDIU prior to May 1, 2013. The Veteran's current diagnosis of bilateral lower extremity neuropathy is related to his in-service exposure to cold temperatures while training in the field.

The Veteran's PTSD alone prevented him from securing and maintaining substantially gainful occupation, meeting the criteria for SMC at the housebound rate. The issues of increased ratings for other service-connected disabilities are remanded.

The Veteran's right and left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy are currently rated at 40 percent effective July 19, 2011.,Prior to this date, the disability was rated as 10 percent for each leg.

The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to conflicting medical opinions and the need for an independent medical examination.

The Veteran's service connection claim for peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities is granted as it meets the criteria for a qualifying chronic disability under 38 U.S.C. § 1117 and 38 C.F.R. § 3.317.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral upper and lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, as well as increased ratings for PTSD. The VA must obtain all relevant treatment records from private healthcare providers and VA clinics.

The Board has granted service connection for right and left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, finding that the Veteran's symptoms are related to herbicide agent exposure in Vietnam.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetic peripheral neuropathy, other than left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy due to type II diabetes mellitus. The evidence did not support a separate grant of service connection for right lower extremity and bilateral upper extremities peripheral neuropathy.

The Board has remanded the claims for bronchial asthma, full body rash, diabetes, and peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities due to exposure to herbicide agents. Additional development is needed to determine if the Veteran was exposed to herbicide agents during his service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a bilateral foot disability and a bilateral leg disability due to additional development being needed, including new VA examinations and opinions.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral cold foot sensation as a separate and distinct disability from the Veteran's already service-connected diabetic neuropathy of the right and left lower extremities, finding that there was no evidence of a current diagnosed bilateral foot disability.