Peripheral neuropathy decisions — 2022

The Veteran's right and left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy have been granted increased evaluations to 40 percent each, effective November 21, 2014.

The Veteran's service connection claims for right lower extremity diabetic neuropathy, left lower extremity diabetic neuropathy, and a lumbar spine disability have been granted. The claim for respiratory disability is remanded.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence and need for additional medical opinions.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral hearing loss, PTSD, coronary artery disease, peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities, and tinnitus, have rendered him unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment. The Board has granted a TDIU based on these conditions.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for service connection for peripheral neuropathy of both lower extremities due to insufficient evidence in the July 2020 VA opinion. The Veteran's representative argues that a new examination is needed to address the April 2015 VA opinion and the Veteran's statements regarding symptoms after returning from Vietnam.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to conflicting opinions on the etiology of the Veteran's low back disability and associated peripheral neuropathy. The case is returned for further development.

The Board has denied service connection for atrophy and weakness of the right calf muscle, including as secondary to folliculitis and cellulitis, and for peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities, including as secondary to folliculitis and cellulitis. The evidence did not establish a nexus between these conditions and active service or the service-connected folliculitis and cellulitis.

The Veteran's service connection claims for acute myeloid leukemia and related peripheral neuropathies have been granted. The appeal regarding a recurrent sleep disability, memory loss, and chronic fatigue is remanded.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions do not render him unable to obtain or maintain substantially gainful employment, and his TDIU claim is denied.

The Veteran's claims for diabetes mellitus, cardioembolic stroke, chronic kidney disease, and chronic lymphocytic leukemia were denied. Service connection was granted with effective date of November 30, 2017, for diabetic polyneuropathy involving the sciatic nerve in both lower extremities.

The Veteran's service connection claims for acute myeloid leukemia and related peripheral neuropathies are granted. The appeal regarding a recurrent sleep disability, memory loss, and chronic fatigue is remanded.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for peripheral neuropathy of both lower extremities due to a lack of sufficient rationale in the June 2022 VA examination and the need to consider direct service connection.

The appeal for prostate cancer is dismissed as the benefits have already been granted.,Service connection for hypertension has been granted based on the PACT Act.

The Board has remanded the claims for higher ratings and entitlement to TDIU due to incomplete development of records, including VA treatment records. The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are being evaluated by a qualified medical examiner to determine their combined effects on his ability to work.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development regarding his claims of increased ratings for peripheral neuropathy and service connection for depressive disorder.

The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of substantial compliance with previous directives and an error in the definition used for aggravation.

The Board denied service connection for left lower extremity (LLE) peripheral neuropathy as the Veteran does not have a current disability of LLE peripheral neuropathy and there is no recent diagnosis prior to his filing of a claim.

The Board has remanded several issues including service connection for various conditions and the effective date of a right lower extremity radiculopathy award. The Veteran's claims for peripheral neuropathy, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, renal cell carcinoma, and a skin disability are also remanded due to potential herbicide exposure in Korea.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea due to insufficient evidence and a need for further development. The examiner is requested to consider obesity as an intermediate step in determining if the Veteran's sleep apnea is secondary to his diabetes mellitus or other service-connected conditions.

The Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to service-connected disabilities was denied. The Board found that the Veteran did not meet the percentage standards set forth in 38 C.F.R. § 4.16(a) and concluded that there is not sufficient evidence to substantiate a reasonable possibility that the Veteran is unemployable by reason of his service-connected disabilities.