Peripheral neuropathy decisions — 2026

The Veteran's claims seeking service connection for fatty liver, bilateral upper and lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, Bell's Palsy, GERD, neurobehavioral issues, and throat/esophageal cancer have been dismissed due to procedural errors in filing a concurrent election of review options.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including prostate cancer, CAD, and bilateral lower extremity nerve damage, have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation. The Board has granted the TDIU.

The Board restored service connection for right and left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, finding the original grant was not clearly erroneous.

The Board has granted an effective date of August 7, 2023 for the grant of service connection for Degenerative Disc Disease and Intervertebral Disc Syndrome (also claimed as a back condition), and bilateral lower extremity sciatic neuropathy.

The Veteran's disability ratings for right and left upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, as well as right and left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, were restored to their previous levels of 70%, 60%, 30%, and 30% respectively, effective from February 12, 2025.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development regarding separate disability ratings for peripheral neuropathy of the lower and upper extremities, as well as an increased rating for bilateral upper extremity peripheral neuropathy.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection have been granted. The left and right lower extremity diabetic neuropathy conditions are rated at 30 percent, effective January 29, 2025. Service connection for OSA is also granted.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for COPD, drug abuse, left upper extremity diabetic neuropathy, and right upper extremity diabetic neuropathy have all been denied. The Board found no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and the Veteran's active service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to a duty to assist error, specifically regarding the lack of development related to Agent Orange exposure and solvent/asbestos exposure.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is remanded due to insufficient examination addressing all aspects of his service-connected diabetes mellitus, including diabetic neuropathy.

The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeal for service connection for hypertension. The claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, urinary issue, right hip arthritis, diabetes mellitus, and various types of neuropathy were denied. A TDIU was granted.

The Board has found that the Veteran's claimed conditions, including hypertension, do not meet the criteria for service connection based on direct evidence and insufficient medical nexus opinions. The Veteran is being remanded to obtain a VA examination to determine if any of these conditions are related to his military service.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for further development and consideration, including obtaining additional medical opinions and Social Security Administration records.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for diabetes, diabetic neuropathy, heart condition, eye conditions, depression, and loss of sex drive due to insufficient evidence. The Veteran was not provided with VA examinations for these issues.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including Loss of Use of Both Feet with Sciatic and Femoral Nerve Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy, have resulted in the permanent loss of use of both feet. The Board has determined that this meets the criteria for financial assistance in purchasing an automobile and adaptive equipment.

The Veteran's conditions do not meet the criteria for SMC based on need for special aid and attendance, as he does not have anatomical loss or use of both hands, legs above knee, or one leg and one arm at levels preventing natural action with prosthetic devices. His blindness is also not severe enough to qualify.

The Veteran's neck and back disabilities are remanded for further examination to address the medical nexus between service and current diagnoses, as well as the significance of the Veteran's lay reports.

The Veteran's service connection claims for DMII, bilateral lower extremity diabetic peripheral neuropathy, and bowel resection are granted. The claim for OSA is denied.

The Board found that the discontinuance of SMC for LOU of both buttocks was proper because the Veteran does not meet the criteria for LOU of both buttocks.

The Veteran's TDIU and DEA were granted effective July 18, 2020. The case involves the Veteran's service-connected disabilities including PTSD, OSA, diabetes, cataracts, neuropathy, and other conditions.