Peripheral neuropathy decisions — 2022

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus type II is rated at 20 percent, and the Board denied a higher rating.,The Veteran's diabetic sensory peripheral neuropathy (PN) of the lower extremities is currently rated at 40 percent each for the right and left legs. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating due to lack of marked muscular atrophy.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right and left foot compression neuropathy are related to his military service, granting service connection for these conditions.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to new and material evidence having been submitted. The Veteran's heart conditions, diabetes mellitus type II, and lower extremity neuropathies are not presumed to be related to herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's application to reopen a claim of entitlement to service connection for a psychiatric disability has been granted. Service connection is also granted for tinnitus, but the claims for hearing loss, headache disability, COPD, eye disability, prostate disability, erectile dysfunction, skin disability, stomach disability, arthritis, bilateral foot disability, left hip disability, right hip disability, left knee disability, right knee disability, left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, and right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy are remanded for further development.

The appeals for separate ratings for peripheral neuropathy and initial rating for diabetic nephropathy are dismissed due to the appellant's death.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy have been reopened due to the submission of new and material evidence. However, these claims are still pending as further medical opinion is needed regarding whether the condition is related to his military service.

The Veteran's service connection claims for Hodgkin's disease, cancer of the lymph nodes, varicose veins, peripheral neuropathy, chronic fatigue syndrome, and vascular disability of the left leg are remanded due to insufficient evidence regarding his in-service exposure to chemical and biological weapons.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and opinions. The issues include heart disability, acquired psychiatric disorder, back disability, kidney disability, urinary disability, right leg muscle disability, esophageal/gastrointestinal disability, left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, and right ankle scar.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, degenerative arthritis of the knees and ankles have been granted. The claim for asbestosis has been denied.,Service connection is now established for CHF.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and opinion regarding service connection for peripheral neuropathy of each lower extremity, as the evidence is not persuasive enough to grant this claim.

The Board has granted service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the right upper, left upper, left lower, and right lower extremities due to presumed exposure to herbicides during active duty in Vietnam.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence and failure to follow its own instructions. The Veteran's VA treatment records from 2010 to present need to be obtained for proper evaluation of her kidney disorder.

The Board has granted service connection for sensorimotor neuropathy in both the left and right lower extremities, finding that the Veteran's symptoms are related to his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for left foot, right foot, left hand, and right hand peripheral neuropathy due to presumed exposure to herbicide agents during active duty.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, finding that there was no evidence of chronic disease in service or within a presumptive period, and that the current diagnoses were not related to service.

The Board has determined that additional examinations are needed to assess the current severity of the Veteran's service-connected residuals of thumb fracture and right-hand neuropathy of the median nerve, as the most recent VA examinations are nearly nine years old. The claims for increased ratings are being remanded.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing and following substantially gainful employment.

The Board has remanded the claims for increased ratings for diabetes mellitus, type II and its associated lower extremity neuropathies due to incomplete private treatment records. The VA is instructed to attempt to obtain these records from Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, Joslin Diabetes Center, and any emergency medical services that treated the Veteran.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's diabetes mellitus, type II and right lower extremity neuropathy were not incurred in or aggravated by his active duty service. The appeal is being remanded to obtain a VA examination for heart disability and sleep apnea.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including migraines, asthma, bilateral pes planus, and others, have prevented her from securing or maintaining substantially gainful employment since June 26, 2014.