Peripheral neuropathy decisions — 2022

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted service connection, while his claims for chloracne, porphyria cutanea tarda, bilateral hearing loss, soft tissue sarcoma, kidney cancer, and lower extremity peripheral neuropathy are all remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to inability to schedule VA examinations in prison. The appeals for service connection are still pending.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to inadequate medical nexus opinions. The Veteran's bilateral lower extremity conditions are being evaluated again.

The Veteran's essential tremors were not found to be related to service or on a presumptive basis. Service connection for Parkinson's disease was denied as the evidence did not support a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease, and the Board found that the Veteran had essential tremor instead.

The Veteran's TDIU and SMC at the housebound rate have been granted due to his service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, headaches from TBI, low back strain, bilateral hearing loss with nonsuppurative otitis media, diabetes mellitus with nephropathy and erectile dysfunction, diabetic retinopathy, peripheral vascular disease, peripheral neuropathy, hemorrhoids, residuals of TBI, and other conditions.

The Veteran's initial compensable disability evaluation for sinusitis is denied.,A rating in excess of 20 percent for diabetes mellitus with erectile dysfunction is denied.,A compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is denied.,Rating in excess of 10 percent for diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the right upper extremity prior to August 26, 2014, and a rating in excess of 30 percent for diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the right upper extremity for the period beginning August 26, 2014, are denied.,Rating in excess of 10 percent for diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the left upper extremity prior to August 26, 2014, and a rating in excess of 20 percent for diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the left upper extremity for the period beginning August 26, 2014, are denied.,Rating in excess of 10 percent for diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity prior to September 7, 2021, and a rating in excess of 40 percent for diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity for the period beginning September 7, 2021, are denied.,A 40 percent rating for diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity for the period beginning September 7, 2021, and a 40 percent rating for diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity for the period beginning September 7, 2021, are granted.,A rating in excess of 10 percent for post-traumatic headaches prior to July 22, 2013, is denied. A rating in excess of 30 percent for post-traumatic headaches for the period beginning July 22, 2013, is also denied.

The Veteran's appeal involves multiple service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, major depressive disorder, degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, type II diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy, and knee conditions. The Board has determined that additional development is needed to address these issues.

The Veteran's type II diabetes mellitus and neuropathy are granted as service connected due to herbicide exposure. The left knee injury and migraine headaches remain in dispute.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's lumbar and thoracic spine degenerative joint disease/ arthritis, lumbar spine degenerative disc disease, intervertebral disc syndrome, right upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, and left upper extremity peripheral neuropathy as a Gulf War illness.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable disability rating prior to April 18, 2018, and in excess of 10 percent thereafter, for his service-connected right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy is being remanded due to incomplete VA medical records and the need for a new examination.

The Veteran's service-connected cervical disc disease/ spondylosis is found to be the cause of his current peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper extremities, warranting a grant of service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him in need of regular aid and attendance or permanently housebound, thus SMC based on aid and attendance is denied.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is remanded due to the need for updated VA treatment records and additional evidence from his therapist.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals regarding increased ratings for left and right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, resulting in the dismissal of these issues.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected peripheral neuropathy and diabetes mellitus due to incomplete compliance with previous remand directives. The Veteran needs to be provided proper notice of scheduled examinations.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus and neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities, both claimed as secondary to in-service herbicide agent exposure. The case is being remanded due to lack of substantial compliance with prior remand directives.

The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings for PTSD and TDIU was denied. The Board found that the severity, frequency, and duration of the Veteran's PTSD symptoms did not meet the criteria for a higher rating before May 15, 2018, or for a 100 percent rating thereafter. For TDIU, the Veteran's service-connected disabilities were deemed insufficient to prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the right and left upper extremities due to lack of current diagnoses.

The Veteran's appeal regarding a higher rating for left lower extremity neuropathy was denied as the disability is currently rated at 40 percent, which is the maximum available under VA regulations.,The Veteran's appeal regarding a higher rating for scars associated with degenerative disc disease to include IVDS with herniated disc and lumbar post laminectomy syndrome was also denied. The current rating of 10 percent is deemed sufficient.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient development of private treatment records. The RO must attempt to obtain these records from the Veteran's private providers, including those noted by the Appellant.