Peripheral neuropathy decisions — 2022

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations, treatment records review, and consideration of new evidence. The effective date for left hand neuropathy is established as October 30, 2013.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to outstanding VA treatment records and an incomplete addendum opinion regarding his hypertension.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, finding that the condition was not related to service or caused by a service-connected disability.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's exposure to herbicides in Thailand, which could impact his claims for service connection. The Veteran is seeking service connection for various conditions including diabetes mellitus, bilateral upper and lower extremity neuropathy, erectile dysfunction, hypertension, and ischemic heart disease as a result of herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's diabetic neuropathy of the left and right lower extremities due to sciatic nerve impairment has been granted ratings from June 21, 2012 to September 15, 2016 at 20%, and as of September 16, 2016 at 40%. Ratings for diabetic neuropathy of the left and right lower extremities due to femoral nerve impairment have been granted from November 16, 2021 at 30%.

The Veteran's claims for diabetes mellitus, type II and lumbar spine disorder were denied as they are not shown to be causally related to service or service-connected conditions.,Service connection was also denied for peripheral neuropathy of the left and right lower extremities due to lack of a nexus between these conditions and service.

The Veteran's nerve pain and/or neuropathy, as well as his hypertension, are remanded for further review due to new evidence added to the claims file. A VA examination is required to determine if these conditions are related to presumed herbicide exposure during service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 is remanded due to insufficient evidence regarding the cause of his left sural sensory polyneuropathy and whether it was caused by VA medical treatment.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings were granted, with a separate 10 percent rating assigned for left lower extremity radiculopathy of the anterior crural nerve and right lower extremity radiculopathy of the anterior crural nerve. The lumbar spine degenerative disc disease was rated at 20 percent effective from February 25, 2020.

The Board has determined that additional evidence needs to be obtained before a final decision can be made on the Veteran's claims. The Veteran is being asked to provide information about any relevant non-VA medical records and for VA to obtain them.

The Veteran's early-onset peripheral neuropathy of the left upper extremity, right upper extremity, left lower extremity, and right lower extremity is granted as due to Agent Orange exposure.,The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is remanded for further examination.

The Board has denied service connection for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, coronary artery disease, and diabetes mellitus, type II. The claims for right lower extremity neuropathy and left lower extremity neuropathy are remanded due to insufficient medical opinion regarding their etiology.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were denied as they are not related to service, with the exception of a remanded matter for hypertension.,Service connection for fibromyalgia was denied due to lack of current diagnosis.

The Board has granted service connection for small fiber neuropathy, back condition, and neck condition, finding that the evidence supports a causal relationship to active military service.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for various conditions, including rotator cuff syndrome and memory loss, due to the appellant's withdrawal of his appeal.

The Veteran's right and left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy is granted as service connected, while the respiratory disability claim is remanded for further evaluation.

The Board has granted service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities, diagnosed as sensorimotor polyneuropathy, to include as secondary to service-connected lumbar spondylosis. The evidence is in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's condition had its onset during service or was otherwise incurred.

The Veteran's initial claim for increased ratings for peripheral neuropathy of the left and right lower extremities was denied prior to May 24, 2017. From that date forward, his claims were granted with a disability rating of 40 percent each.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II has been reopened and granted.,Service connection is also granted for peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity. The issue of service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity remains pending.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection and a higher rating for their conditions has been withdrawn by the representative.