Peripheral neuropathy decisions — 2023

The Board has granted service connection for left upper, right upper, left lower, and right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy due to herbicide exposure during service.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings of his diabetic neuropathy are being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination.

The Board denied service connection for various disabilities, including pancreatic disability, left hand disability, diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, erectile dysfunction, hypertension, kidney disability with renal transplant, skin disability, and acquired psychiatric disorder. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred or aggravated by service.

The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral lower extremity disability, left knee disability, and right knee disability due to insufficient evidence regarding service connection. The Appellant's testimony and medical records will be reviewed to determine if there is a link between his current conditions and military service.

The Veteran's service connection claims for peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities, seizure disorder, and bilateral foot disabilities have been granted. The Board found that these conditions are related to his presumed exposure to herbicide agents in Vietnam.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the right upper, left upper, and left lower extremities.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the right and left lower extremities due to new evidence submitted. The claims are remanded for further development, including VA examinations.

The Board has granted service connection for left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, and erectile dysfunction as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus type II.,However, the TDIU claim remains pending due to a need for additional evidence regarding the nature and etiology of any bilateral upper extremity neurological conditions.

The Board denied service connection for neurological disabilities of the right and left lower extremities, finding that there was no credible evidence to support the Veteran's claim of herbicide agent exposure in service.

The Board has dismissed all issues of service connection due to the Veteran's death during the appeal process.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings and service connection were denied. His right knee disability, characterized as a torn medial meniscus, was not rated higher than 10 percent. His back disability, characterized as degenerative arthritis of the spine, also did not warrant an increase beyond 10 percent. Service connection was denied for bilateral upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, and sleep condition.

The Veteran's claims for service connection, ratings, and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional medical records and further evaluation.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for gall bladder disability, heart disability, HTN, and BUE and BLE PN have been denied. The Board has remanded the cases due to new evidence submitted since the last final decisions.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus has not required one or more daily injections of insulin, restricted diet, and regulation of activities to warrant a higher initial rating.,The Veteran's bilateral tinea pedis is currently rated as 0 percent due to the absence of systemic therapy. Further examination is needed to determine if his current treatment qualifies as such.,The Veteran's chloracne has not been found to cause deep acne other than on the face and neck, warranting a compensable rating.,For the left lower extremity, sciatic nerve, the Veteran's peripheral neuropathy was rated at 10 percent prior to August 4, 2022; and in excess of 20 percent since that date. Further examination is needed to determine if this rating should be changed.,For the right lower extremity, sciatic nerve, the Veteran's peripheral neuropathy was also rated at 10 percent prior to August 4, 2022; and in excess of 20 percent since that date. Further examination is needed to determine if this rating should be changed.,The Veteran's left lower extremity, femoral nerve, peripheral neuropathy has been rated at 10 percent. Further examination is needed to determine if a higher rating is warranted.,For the right lower extremity, femoral nerve, the Veteran's peripheral neuropathy was also rated at 10 percent. Further examination is needed to determine if a higher rating is warranted.

The Board denied service connection for neuropathy of the right and left upper extremities as well as neuropathy of the right and left lower extremities, finding that the Veteran's conditions did not have their onset during or were not caused by his military service, including in-service herbicide agent exposure.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus type II is rated at 20 percent, and a higher rating is denied.,PTSD and MDD are rated at 50 percent prior to August 30, 2016, and at 70 percent from that date. The issues of increased ratings for peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities are remanded.,The Veteran's left upper extremity peripheral neuropathy is rated at 20 percent, and a higher rating is remanded.,The Veteran's right upper extremity peripheral neuropathy is rated at 20 percent, and a higher rating is remanded.,The Veteran's right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy is rated at 10 percent, and a higher rating is remanded.,The Veteran's left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy is rated at 10 percent, and a higher rating is remanded.,TDIU is remanded.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right upper extremity CTS, left upper extremity CTS, right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, and left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy. The evidence does not support a finding that these conditions are related to service or exposure to herbicide agents.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for bilateral upper and lower extremity peripheral neuropathy due to inadequate examination findings and failure to consider whether the Veteran's symptoms constitute a disability under Saunders v. Wilkie, 886 F.3d 1356 (Fed. Cir. 2018).

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for cervical strain and peripheral neuropathy in the bilateral upper extremities, both secondary to service-connected degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, due to insufficient opinions from the March 2022 VA examinations.

The Board has granted service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the right and left lower extremities, finding that it is at least as likely as not related to the Veteran's active-duty service, including exposure to Agent Orange.