Peripheral neuropathy decisions — 2022

The Board has remanded the case due to conflicting medical evidence regarding the Veteran's hand disability and its relation to service, diabetes, or herbicide exposure. A new VA examination is needed to clarify these issues.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection due to a lack of confirmation of his claimed Vietnam service and exposure to herbicide agents.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection of diabetic neuropathy of the right and left upper extremities, finding that there was no evidence of a formal or informal claim prior to April 11, 2015.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral lower extremity neuropathy as aggravated by the Veteran's service-connected cervical spine disorder. The claim for tinnitus was denied due to lack of new and material evidence, and the claim for sleep apnea was denied as not related to service.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence and need for further examination. The Veteran's back, left knee, and bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy conditions are under review.

The Veteran's service connection claims for peripheral neuropathy of the right and left upper extremities, ischemic heart disease, and kidney disability have been denied.,The Board has found no current disabilities in these conditions.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities have been dismissed as he has withdrawn his appeal.

The Board has granted entitlement to a separate rating for right and left upper extremity peripheral neuropathy on a secondary basis due to service-connected lung cancer. Additionally, the Veteran is granted TDIU prior to January 17, 2019.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been granted as they are related to in-service noise exposure.,Service connection has also been established for left ulnar mononeuropathy, which is secondary to the Veteran's service-connected shoulder condition.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy due to herbicide exposure during his service in Vietnam.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for acute peripheral neuropathy of the left foot is remanded due to new evidence submitted after a previous denial. The amputated left big toe disability is also remanded as there was no medical opinion regarding its etiology.

The Board denied service connection for a left shoulder disorder, left lower extremity radiculopathy and peripheral neuropathy (to include as due to a low back disorder), and a low back disorder. The decision is based on the lack of evidence showing an in-service injury or nexus.

The Veteran's back condition, right shoulder strain, left upper extremity peripheral neuropathy (claimed as a left shoulder and hand condition), and right upper extremity peripheral neuropathy (claimed as a right hand condition) are all granted. The kidney condition is remanded for further development.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions do not result in the need for regular aid and attendance of another person, nor does he have a need for specially adapted housing or a special home adaptation grant due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus, left and right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, and heart disability are granted service connection due to presumed exposure to herbicide agents in Thailand. The Veteran's stroke residuals are also granted service connection.

The Board has remanded the severance of service connection for various conditions, including hypertension and diabetes, due to a potential fraud investigation. The effective dates for these severances are also being reviewed.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 70 percent, effective April 28, 2017. The Board denied an increased rating in excess of 70 percent.,The Veteran's sciatic neuropathy, right lower extremity, was restored to a 20 percent disability rating from May 22, 2017.,Service connection for the sexual disorder, postmenopausal atrophic vaginitis, was granted.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for ischemic heart disease, hypertension, and peripheral neuropathy of the right hand, foot, and leg due to in-service exposure to herbicide agents. The claims are being remanded to determine if the Veteran was exposed to herbicides during his service in Korea.

The Board has granted service connection for peripheral neuropathy affecting both upper and lower extremities as secondary to service-connected diabetes mellitus, Type II.,Service connection was also granted for non-ischemic heart disease (including congestive heart failure, ventricular arrhythmia, and cardiomyopathy), hypertension, and chronic kidney disease (secondary to service-connected hypertension).

The Board has remanded two issues regarding the Veteran's service connection for peripheral neuropathy of his left and right upper extremities, attributing it to in-service exposure to oil well fires and burn pits while serving in Southwest Asia. The VA examiner is required to provide an opinion on whether these conditions are related to military service.