Peripheral neuropathy decisions — 2024

The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus type II, coronary artery disease, hypertension, bilateral eye disorder, right upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, and left upper extremity peripheral neuropathy due to exposure to herbicide agents during military service in the Korean DMZ. The TDIU claim is also remanded.

The Veteran's initial claim for a 10% rating for nerve damage of the right foot prior to March 17, 2023 is granted. However, her increased claim for a higher rating from that date is denied.

The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of clarity in the record regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him in need of regular aid and attendance prior to February 24, 2021. The Veteran will be scheduled for an examination to address this question.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development regarding the severity of his bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy and diabetic peripheral neuropathy, sciatic nerve, as well as earlier effective dates for these conditions. The issues are inextricably intertwined with the increased rating claims.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate VA examination and failure to consider all available evidence, including private medical treatment records.

The Board has remanded the claims for diabetes mellitus type 2, heart disease, and peripheral neuropathy of multiple extremities due to inadequate VA examinations and incomplete medical opinions. The Veteran was exposed to jet fuels during service but exposure to herbicide agents is not conceded.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and SMC based on aid and attendance or loss of use of all four extremities are being remanded due to procedural errors and the need for additional medical opinions.

The Board has vacated its decision regarding the rating assigned for diabetes mellitus, type II. The issues of secondary service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy are remanded.

The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's claimed disabilities, including residuals of stroke, ischemic heart disease, peripheral neuropathy of the upper extremities, and hypothyroidism, all of which were deemed not related to herbicide exposure in Korea.

The Board has granted service connection for right upper extremity and left upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, finding that the Veteran's conditions are likely caused by his exposure to herbicide agents during service.

Service connection for right lower extremity, left lower extremity, and right upper extremity peripheral neuropathy is denied.,Service connection for sleep apnea is remanded due to lack of competent evidence linking the condition to service.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine the etiology of the Veteran's Parkinson's disease and polyneuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities, which are currently service-connected. The Veteran asserts that his conditions are related to in-service exposure to trichlorethylene (TCE).

The Veteran's claims for mild right ulnar sensory neuropathy and a left ankle condition are remanded due to the lack of issuance of a Statement of the Case (SOC).

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates and increased ratings were denied. The Board found that the earliest date of entitlement to service connection was November 25, 2020, when the Veteran was diagnosed with left shoulder neurological disability.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for his lumbar spine disability prior to August 18, 2020, and from that date forward is dismissed.,The Veteran's petition to reopen the claim of service connection for a left wrist disability has been granted due to new evidence received since October 2005.,The Veteran's appeal for higher ratings for his right wrist median neuropathy and bilateral foot disabilities prior to August 18, 2020 is remanded.,The Veteran's appeals for higher ratings for his heel spurs of the left and right feet are remanded.,The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for his bilateral flat foot disability from August 18, 2020 is remanded.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II, on October 25, 2013, implicitly includes a claim for resultant complications. The effective date of the award of service connection for diabetic peripheral neuropathy affecting both lower extremities is granted as of October 25, 2013.,The Veteran's TDIU was awarded as of October 25, 2013, but he asserts that his disabilities have prevented him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation since 2001.

The Board has reopened the claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus, hypertension, right upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, and left upper extremity peripheral neuropathy. The claims are being remanded due to the need to determine the Veteran's exposure to toxic chemicals at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, naval facility.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to a lack of compliance with previous remands and the need for new medical opinions. The issues are inextricably intertwined.

The Board has decided to remand the eligibility for benefits under the PCAFC program due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error, and will consider all evidence submitted by the appellant, Veteran, or his representative at the hearing.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the AOJ failing to verify his exposure to herbicide agents at Camp Casey and Camp Red Cloud, which is a pre-decisional duty to assist error. The propriety of severance of service connection for coronary artery disease (CAD) is also being remanded.