Peripheral neuropathy decisions — 2024

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities necessitate the need for regular aid and attendance of another person, which has been granted.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including sleep apnea and diabetes mellitus with related neuropathy, have rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment. The Board has granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to procedural errors in the initial rating decisions. The Board is unable to review evidence submitted after the RO's Rating Decision on appeal, but will consider it during the remand process.

The Board has remanded the case for further examination and opinion regarding service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to a failure to provide such in the previous decision.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional service records and determine if his sleep apnea is related to military service or obesity, which may be a result of his service-connected disabilities. The issues of entitlement to higher ratings for sciatica peripheral neuropathy and service connection for hearing loss are also being remanded.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were granted. Erectile dysfunction, tinnitus, and diabetes mellitus, type II are all granted due to herbicide exposure under the PACT Act. Prostate cancer is also granted due to herbicide exposure. Service connection for hearing loss and peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities (secondary to diabetes) was denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates are remanded due to statutory and regulatory errors, specifically regarding the Veteran's Intent to File in the modernized system.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including diabetes mellitus and peripheral neuropathy, have prevented him from obtaining and retaining substantially gainful employment since August 25, 2019. The Board has determined that the criteria for a TDIU are met.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection of right and left upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, finding no clear and unmistakable error in prior decisions and concluding that the evidence did not support an earlier effective date.

The Board has remanded the claims for earlier effective dates for service connection of diabetic peripheral neuropathy in both lower extremities due to inextricably intertwined issues.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for type 2 diabetes, right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, and left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy have been granted.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for Parkinson's disease/Parkinsonism has been remanded due to a failure to obtain an examination to clarify the diagnosis.,The Veteran's claim for TDIU has been remanded.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus type II, Parkinson's disease, and neuropathy in his extremities are all granted as service-connected due to herbicide exposure.,Service connection for the Veteran's Parkinson's disease is granted based on its relationship to his existing service-connected conditions.

Service connection for hypertension is granted due to presumed exposure to herbicide agents during service. Service connection for bilateral lower extremity neuropathy is remanded as the evidence does not establish early onset peripheral neuropathy or a direct causal link to herbicide agent exposure.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors and the need for additional medical opinions regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's disabilities.

The Board has found that the Veteran's claims for service connection must be remanded due to a duty-to-assist error. Specifically, VA did not attempt to obtain Social Security Administration (SSA) records and Georgia disability records which are potentially relevant to the claims.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left ulnar neuropathy, finding that new evidence did not establish a link between his conditions and service.

The Veteran's combined disability rating was increased to 100% effective December 28, 2015 due to a new service-connected condition (right lower extremity neuropathy). The VA retroactive CRDP payment for the period from January 1, 2016 through August 31, 2021 was correctly assigned an effective date of January 1, 2016. The Veteran is not entitled to an earlier effective date for the retroactive CRDP payment.

The Board has granted service connection for chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities and diabetes mellitus, type II. The decision is based on evidence showing exposure to toxic chemicals during active service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been withdrawn, and the Board has dismissed these issues due to withdrawal. The Veteran does not meet the criteria for hearing loss for VA purposes.

The Board denied a rating in excess of 10 percent for left foot posterior tibial nerve neuropathy, finding that the evidence showed mild incomplete paralysis.