Peripheral neuropathy Board decisions

The veteran has withdrawn his appeal for all issues on appeal, including increased ratings for various conditions.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for special monthly compensation based on need for aid and attendance or housebound status.

The veteran seeks service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the hands and feet, which he contends is secondary to high doses of INH medication used to treat his service-connected pulmonary tuberculosis. The case is being remanded for further development.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and records review. The issues of increased ratings for his service-connected Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease with bilateral lower extremity neuropathy and bipolar affective disorder are pending.

The Board granted the veteran's claims for increased ratings for peripheral neuropathy of the left and right lower extremities, assigning a 20 percent rating effective August 21, 2008. The veteran was also granted service connection for tinnitus.

The Board finds that the veteran does not have PTSD related to his military service and there is no credible evidence supporting the occurrence of a personal assault during service. Therefore, service connection for PTSD is denied. For peripheral neuropathy of both lower extremities, while the record places the evidence in equipoise as to whether it had its onset during service, the Board finds that the veteran's symptoms are not related to his military service.

The Board has ordered a remand to determine if the veteran's pre-existing polyneuropathy was aggravated by service. The case will be returned for further development and consideration.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been submitted to reopen claims for service connection for numbness on the right side, shortness of breath, headaches, PTSD, and blood in urine and semen, kidney disorder, and swollen testicle. The veteran's claim for residuals of throat surgery with dysphagia and dysphonia remains denied.

The veteran's PTSD and bilateral hearing loss were granted service connection with initial evaluations of zero percent. Service connection for headaches, varicose veins, and peripheral neuropathy of the hands was denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for peripheral neuropathy of his right and left feet, as well as his hands. The TDIU claim was also denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's eye disability and peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities are not proximately due to or the result of his service-connected diabetes mellitus.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not currently have peripheral neuropathy in either foot, and thus service connection for these conditions cannot be granted.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a back disability, PTSD, peripheral neuropathy of the right upper extremity, and peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity. The claim for an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss was also denied.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for service connection for right carpal tunnel syndrome, finding no evidence linking it to active military service or his diabetes mellitus.,For type 2 diabetes mellitus and associated disabilities, the disability ratings have been granted but not increased beyond what is currently assigned.

The veteran's claims for increased disability ratings were denied. The RO found that the scars of his face, forehead and neck did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under Diagnostic Code 7800. For the severed flexor tendons, right (dominant) second and third fingers, the RO determined they did not warrant a higher rating under Diagnostic Codes 5219 or 5152-5156. The neuropathy of his left axillary nerve was rated as 30 percent disabling since March 26, 2008, but denied prior to that date. The third degree burn scars were not found to meet the criteria for a higher rating under Diagnostic Code 7800. Finally, the scarring of his right thigh did not warrant a compensable disability evaluation.

The veteran's sensorimotor polyneuropathy of the lower extremities was not found to be incurred in or aggravated by service, may not be presumed to have been incurred in service, and is not proximately due to, the result of, or chronically aggravated by a service-connected disability.

The veteran's unemployability is a result of functional impairment due solely to his service-connected disabilities, and the Board has granted entitlement to TDIU.

The Board denied the appellant's claim of service connection for DIC benefits, finding that new and material evidence had not been submitted to reopen her previously denied claim.

The Board has determined that the veteran's cold injury residuals of the hands are service-connected, as they are believed to be a residual of exposure to extreme cold weather during his military service in Japan. The peripheral neuropathy and respiratory disorder were not found to be related to service.

The veteran has withdrawn his appeals on the issues of initial increased evaluations for his service-connected peripheral neuropathy and diabetes mellitus with impotency and retinopathy.