Peripheral neuropathy decisions — 2024

The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection for right and left upper extremity peripheral neuropathy due to the Veteran's withdrawal of his appeal.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of migraine headaches, right lower extremity neuropathy, or left lower extremity neuropathy. The Veteran's service treatment records show complaints of headaches and back pain but no diagnoses of these conditions.,For his heart condition and defibrillator implant, the Board finds that an addendum opinion is needed to address whether there is a relationship between the Veteran's current conditions and his service-connected hypertension.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions, including diabetes, stroke, and vision problems, have prevented him from securing or maintaining substantially gainful employment from July 1, 2019, to February 16, 2022.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, finding that the evidence is approximately balanced as to whether these disabilities are directly related to service exposure to Agent Orange.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevent him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment, including sedentary employment. The Board grants a TDIU based on the combined evaluation of his service-connected conditions.

The Board has determined that further development is necessary for the Veteran's claims of service connection for sleep apnea, increased ratings for his service-connected back disability and associated neurological disabilities, and TDIU. The case will be remanded to obtain additional VA examination opinions and a retrospective opinion.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities due to toxic exposure risk activities (TERA) in Thailand. The claims are related to early-onset peripheral neuropathy associated with herbicide exposure, specifically Agent Orange.

The Board has remanded the case due to lack of substantial compliance with previous remand instructions. The Veteran's foot drop is a manifestation of his peroneal sensory neuropathy, and further medical opinion is needed to determine this.

The appeals for increased ratings for right lower extremity conditions were dismissed due to the Veteran's death.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions, including diabetic retinopathy and various types of peripheral neuropathy, were granted. The Veteran was also awarded a TDIU based on his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus type II is found to be the primary cause of his peripheral neuropathy in both hands and feet, resulting in a grant of service connection for these conditions.

The Board has dismissed the appeal due to the Veteran's withdrawal of his hearing request and all related issues.

The Veteran's right and left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy were granted a 20% rating effective October 13, 2020.,Service connection for right upper and left upper extremity peripheral neuropathy was also granted with respective ratings of 30% and 20%. These grants are not subject to earlier effective dates.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's peripheral neuropathy and because his counsel withdrew representation. The claim will be returned for further action, including EMG nerve conduction testing.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings and effective dates are being remanded due to a duty-to-assist error in failing to obtain private treatment records from Blessing Hospital and Blessing Physician Services Behavioral Health. The issues include right hand neuropathy, borderline personality disorder, IBS with GERD, right shoulder osteoarthritis, hypertension, and TDIU.

The Board has granted special monthly compensation (SMC) based on housebound status for the Veteran, who is currently rated at 70 percent for bipolar disorder and has additional disabilities rated at 100 percent under a combined schedular rating. The decision also considers his TDIU as a Bradley TDIU due to his mental health condition.

The Veteran's claims for prostate cancer, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus were received within one year of the PACT Act's effective date (August 10, 2022), allowing an effective date of August 10, 2022.,The grants of service connection for diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity, right lower extremity, and erectile dysfunction were granted on a secondary basis to diabetes mellitus and prostate cancer, respectively. As such, they have an effective date of August 10, 2022.

The Veteran is entitled to special monthly compensation (SMC) based on the need for aid and attendance of another person due to his service-connected disabilities.,However, the Veteran does not meet the criteria for SMC by reason of being housebound as he does not have a single disability rated 100% disabling with other service-connected independently ratable at 60%, or be permanently housebound by reason of service-connected disability or disabilities.

The Veteran's service-connected left and right upper extremity peripheral neuropathy is granted effective February 23, 2022.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including migraines and right hip pain, are found to render her unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.