Peripheral neuropathy Board decisions

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to maintain substantially gainful employment, and the Board has determined that he meets the criteria for a TDIU.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for cold injuries of the upper and lower extremities with polyneuropathy is dismissed. The Board finds that he has current diagnoses of osteoarthritis of his right ankle and an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, anxiety disorder, and dysthymic disorder, which are related to his active military service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and opinions regarding his cerebellar infarction, motor and sensory problems, and headaches. The case will be reconsidered based on the new evidence.

The Board finds that the Veteran's bilateral upper extremity neuropathy is as likely as not attributable to his active military service, and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are denied due to his own willful misconduct in the motor vehicle accident of April [redacted], 1975. The Board found that none of the conditions claimed were related to active military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including issuance of Statements of the Case and scheduling a videoconference hearing. The issues include rating an increased disability for bilateral pes planus, service connection for various disabilities, and review of a reduction in rating for plantar fasciitis.

The Veteran's lower extremity neuropathy is currently rated as noncompensable, with no evidence of more than mild incomplete paralysis. The appeal for increased ratings is denied.

The Board found insufficient evidence to establish that the appellant currently suffers from peripheral neuropathy related to his military service or a service-connected disorder, and thus denied the claim for service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities and assigned a noncompensable rating. The Veteran's right upper and left upper extremity peripheral neuropathy are each rated at 10 percent.

The Veteran's appeal for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for his neuropathy of the right thumb is dismissed as he already had been awarded this effective date in a previous rating decision.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn prior to the Board issuing a decision.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to August 31, 2006, for the grant of service connection for residuals of a cerebral infarct with loss of use of the right hand (previously claimed as peripheral neuropathy of the right upper extremity) associated with Type II Diabetes Mellitus was denied. The claim is based on direct service connection and not due to exposure to burn pits, Agent Orange, Camp Lejeune, radiation, Gulf War Syndrome, or a presumption.

The Veteran's claim for a bilateral foot disability, other than peripheral neuropathy, is denied as there is no evidence of such a condition during the pendency of her appeal. The remaining claims are addressed in the REMAND section.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper extremities. The evidence did not establish that his peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities manifested to a 10 percent degree within one year of separation, or was caused by service. Therefore, service connection for this condition is denied.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the award of service connection for right hand neuropathy, which was granted in February 2010 and effective August 15, 2008, is denied as there is no evidence of a prior informal or formal claim before that date.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus and peripheral neuropathy was granted with effective dates prior to January 24, 2011.,For the period prior to February 17, 2011, a 20 percent rating is assigned for diabetes mellitus.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, aside from his ischemic optic neuropathy, are of sufficient severity to warrant entitlement to SMC at the (l) level based on the need for A&A due to these disabilities alone. The claim for service connection for minimal age acquired osteoarthritis is being remanded for further development.

The Veteran's cervical spine disability, alone with the use of sedating medications or associated peripheral neuropathy of the upper extremities, has not been shown to be so exceptional or unusual as to warrant a higher rating on an extra-schedular basis.

The Board finds that the Veteran's cervical spine degenerative joint disease and bilateral upper extremity neuropathy are not related to his military service, and therefore, cannot be granted service connection.

The Board found that peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities was not incurred in or aggravated by service, may not be presumed to have been caused by a service-connected disease or injury, and is caused or aggravated by diabetes mellitus.