Peripheral neuropathy Board decisions

The Veteran's claim for a total disability rating by reason of individual unemployability (TDIU) is being remanded due to the need for additional evidence regarding her employment status and functional impairment caused by her service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for polyneuropathy is being remanded due to incomplete records and the need for a medical opinion regarding the relationship between his service-connected diabetes mellitus and his diagnosed polyneuropathy.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, as well as alopecia areata (claimed as hair loss), were denied. The Board found that there was no current diagnosis of peripheral neuropathy in either upper extremity or lower extremity, and that any diagnosed left upper extremity ulnar neuropathy was not related to service, including exposure to herbicides.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection based on his character of discharge during his period of active service from February 26, 1965 to December 16, 1970.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, secondary to his service-connected right lower extremity disabilities, is denied. His claims for increased ratings for PTSD and right hip degenerative arthritis are also denied.

The Board dismissed the claim alleging clear and unmistakable error (CUE) in the March 12, 2003 rating decision that assigned effective dates for prostate cancer with erectile dysfunction; diabetes mellitus with eczema and nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy; and peripheral neuropathy of the left and right lower extremities associated with diabetes mellitus.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for automobile and adaptive equipment, specially adapted housing, or special home adaptation grant.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for an increased evaluation for diabetes mellitus and entitlement to TDIU, finding that his service-connected disabilities did not render him unemployable.

The Veteran's symptoms have been attributed to known clinical diagnoses, and the Board finds that he does not have a chronic disability resulting from an undiagnosed illness or medically unexplained chronic multi-symptom illness related to his service in Southwest Asia.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his claims, including obtaining SSA records and VA treatment records.

The Board found that the Veteran's peripheral neuropathy was not incurred in or aggravated during military service and may not be presumed to have been incurred in service.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for skin tags and herpes zoster lesions (claimed as a skin disorder) was withdrawn. The Board also found that the Veteran does not have current peripheral neuropathy, and thus cannot establish service connection on a secondary basis to his service-connected diabetes mellitus.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including consideration of whether an earlier effective date is warranted based on the Veteran's February 1, 1995 pension claim under 38 C.F.R. § 3.151(a).

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an extraschedular TDIU rating prior to July 13, 2004, finding that his service-connected disabilities did not render him unemployable and that there was no evidence of frequent hospitalization or marked interference with employment.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for his lumbosacral spine disorder and resultant radiculopathies was granted, with the lumbosacral spine disorder receiving a 20 percent rating effective from December 3, 2001. The radiculopathies of the left lower extremity received a 10 percent rating effective from December 3, 2001, and the radiculopathy of the right lower extremity also received a 10 percent rating effective from December 3, 2001.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities have been granted, but his initial evaluations remain at 10 percent. The Board has ordered a remand to obtain updated VA treatment records and conduct a new examination.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates and temporary total evaluations were denied. The initial rating claims are pending.

The Board has determined that the appellant was not unemployable by reason of service-connected disability for the period from November 29, 2006, through March 27, 2008.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining a detailed statement of the appellant's claimed herbicide exposure and requesting verification from the DoD inventory of herbicide operations. The VA also needs to schedule an examination for PTSD due to service as a sea rescue team member.

The Veteran's peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities was rated at 20 percent prior to May 16, 2008. Since then, ratings have been increased to 60 and 40 percent for left and right lower extremity conditions, respectively.