Peripheral neuropathy Board decisions

The Veteran's polyneuropathy of the right upper and lower extremities is currently rated as 20 percent for each, with no higher ratings being granted due to the severity of his symptoms not warranting a higher rating under VA's schedular criteria.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for COPD, prostate disorder, diabetes, hypertension, peripheral neuropathy, and stroke have been denied. The Board finds that the evidence does not support a grant of service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation consistent with his education and occupational background, thus meeting the criteria for a TDIU.

The Board has denied the appellant's claims for service connection for various disabilities, including bilateral hearing loss, tinea pedis, and plantar fasciitis. The initial compensable evaluations for recurrent lipomas, multiple lipoma excision scars on the left flank and right elbow, and a left flank scar have also been denied. The Board has not addressed the claims for cervical spine, lumbar spine, right elbow, right ankle, right shoulder, lower jaw, right foot sural neuropathy, or left foot sural neuropathy as they are considered part of the initial grant of service connection.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for peripheral neuropathy, which was previously denied due to lack of evidence linking the condition to his time in Vietnam, has been reopened and granted. The new evidence includes testimony from the Veteran and his family members about symptoms experienced during service and after separation, as well as a letter from his doctor indicating that the Veteran's current condition is likely related to herbicide exposure while serving in Vietnam.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected diabetes mellitus and associated peripheral neuropathy is being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and consideration of new evidence. The Board also notes that a separate compensable rating may be warranted for erectile dysfunction as a complication of his diabetes.

The Board has granted service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the left and right upper extremities as secondary to service-connected diabetes mellitus.

The Veteran's service connection claims for various conditions, including ischemic heart disease and hypertension, are granted due to exposure to herbicides in the Republic of Vietnam. The effective date is not specified.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the right and left feet are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including a VA examination.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions were denied. The Board found no evidence of in-service injury or disease, and the Veteran did not meet the criteria for presumptive service connection due to exposure to herbicide agents.,Compensation benefits for a prostate disorder were also denied.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of entitlement to an effective date earlier than June 25, 2002 for awards of service connection for a lumbar disability, bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, tinnitus, and bilateral hearing loss. The issue of whether new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen a claim of entitlement to service connection for a bilateral knee disability is also addressed in the REMAND portion.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension and bilateral upper and lower peripheral neuropathy as secondary to his service-connected diabetes mellitus, type II, have been denied due to lack of evidence supporting the presence of these conditions.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 50 percent, his avitaminosis and malnutrition are noncompensably disabling, and both of his peripheral neuropathy conditions are each rated at 10 percent. The appeals for increased ratings have been denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have metatarsalgia of the bilateral feet with idiopathic neuropathy that is related to service or a service-connected disability. The preponderance of evidence also supports the conclusion that the Veteran's hepatitis C was not incurred in service.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions do not meet the criteria for either automobile and adaptive equipment or specially adapted housing assistance.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, diabetes mellitus, and peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, are found to prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation. The Board grants a TDIU rating based on these conditions.

The Board found no evidence of service connection for diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy, or a bilateral foot disability due to herbicide exposure. The Veteran's claims were denied as there was insufficient medical evidence linking the current disabilities to his military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, emphysema, and benign brain cyst with neuropathy of the lower extremities. The claim for costochondritis was granted but not increased beyond 10 percent. Claims for patellofemoral pain syndrome and synovitis of both knees were also denied.

The Board found that the September 1976 rating decision did not contain clear and unmistakable error (CUE) in continuing a 20 percent evaluation for lumbrosacral strain with recurrent sciatic neuropathy degenerative disc disease at L5 level. The Veteran's claim for an increased rating was also denied.

The Veteran's claim for TDIU is being remanded due to the need for a VA examination to assess his employability given his service-connected disabilities.