Peripheral neuropathy decisions — 2025

The Board granted an effective date of January 3, 2020, for the award of separate compensable ratings for RLE and LLE peripheral neuropathy of the sciatic and femoral nerves.

The Board granted service connection for bilateral lower extremities peripheral neuropathy, finding it at least as likely as not due to the Veteran's active service exposure to herbicides.

The Board denied increased ratings for PTSD, diabetes mellitus type II, left and right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, and a TDIU.

The Board granted service connection for sensori-motor axonal polyneuropathy, finding it as likely as not attributable to the Veteran's presumed exposure to Agent Orange during his service in Vietnam.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for diabetes, high blood pressure, a skin rash, and neuropathy of both upper and lower extremities due to additional development needed to identify specific toxic exposures during the Veteran's service.

The Board denied increased ratings for peripheral neuropathy and remanded claims related to eye conditions and TDIU.

The Board granted earlier effective dates of May 31, 2013, for service connection and higher ratings for the Veteran's peripheral neuropathy in his lower extremities.

The Board denied the appeal, affirming the severance of service connection for various conditions due to clear and unmistakable errors in the prior decision.

The Board granted service connection for diabetes, ischemic heart disease, hypertension, and neuropathy of the right and left upper and lower extremities as secondary to diabetes due to herbicide exposure during the Veteran's service in Okinawa.

The Board granted service connection for polyneuropathy of the left lower extremity, right lower extremity, left upper extremity and right upper extremity based on a finding that it is at least as likely as not that these conditions are related to the Veteran's exposure to Agent Orange during his service in Vietnam.

The Board granted attorney fees for service connection of OSA and ED, and SMC based on loss of use of a creative organ, but denied fees for an increased rating for psychiatric disorder and other PN conditions.

The Board granted a 10 percent initial rating for hypertension and denied higher ratings or service connection for the other conditions.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for earlier effective dates, higher initial ratings, and a compensable rating for various conditions, finding no basis to grant any of these requests.

The Veteran's service-connected diabetes, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities, sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus rendered him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation from May 30, 2008 to prior to March 3, 2011.

The Board remands the appeal to obtain an opinion from a clinician as to whether it is in the best interest of the Veteran to participate in the PCAFC, given that the Veteran has been determined to be in need of personal care services for at least six continuous months based on an inability to perform certain ADLs.

The Board denied service connection for right ear infections and a compensable rating for cranial neuropathy of facial nerve (VII) and xerostomia.

The Board granted earlier effective dates for the grants of service connection for diabetes mellitus, Type II, diabetic retinopathy, and diabetic nephropathy, as well as awards of service connection for various peripheral neuropathies and amputations.

The Board dismissed the appeal for service connection for medial plantar nerve neuropathy of the left foot, denied an initial disability rating in excess of 10 percent for chronic sinusitis and an initial compensable disability rating for allergic rhinitis, and remanded claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, a lumbar spine disability, and a right knee disability.

The Board granted an earlier effective date of November 18, 2021, for the grant of service connection for left lower extremity external cutaneous nerve peripheral neuropathy.

The appeal seeking entitlement to service connection for PTSD, left foot peripheral neuropathy, right foot peripheral neuropathy, and eczema was dismissed due to procedural defects in the Veteran's election of review options.