Peripheral neuropathy Board decisions

The Board has determined that the VA's duties to notify and assist have not been fulfilled for this issue, and thus the case is being returned to the RO/AMC for further development.

The veteran's claims for higher evaluations of his lumbar spine, thoracic spine, and right shoulder disabilities were denied. The heart condition claim was not granted as it is unrelated to service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed peripheral neuropathy was not incurred in or aggravated by service, and specifically denied service connection for this condition on a direct basis. The claim is also denied as secondary to herbicide exposure in Vietnam due to lack of evidence linking the condition to service.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including a VA examination to evaluate the veteran's skin symptoms and determine their relationship to his military service. The issues of entitlement to service connection for peripheral neuropathy, hypertension, and unspecified skin rash remain on appeal.

The Board found that the veteran's current right foot conditions are not related to his service-connected fracture of the left fourth metatarsal, and concluded that they were not aggravated by service. As a result, the claim for service connection was denied.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of a broken nose, right ear hearing loss, hand and elbow disorder, peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity, and increased rating for DDD of the lumbar spine. The evidence did not establish new and material evidence to reopen any of these claims.

The Board found that the partial removal of the right 4th rib was a foreseeable consequence of the surgery and not the result of carelessness, negligence, lack of proper skill, error in judgment, or similar instance of fault on VA's part.,The medical evidence established that the veteran's right groin lymphocele and bilateral peripheral neuropathy were not results of the January 1997 surgery.

The veteran's peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities has been evaluated based on the criteria for paralysis of the median nerve and sciatic nerve, respectively. The evaluations have not met the criteria for higher ratings under these diagnostic codes.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including scheduling a videoconference hearing and issuing statements of the case on certain issues.

The veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not service-connected.,Peripheral neuropathy is also not service-connected, as it did not manifest within the required timeframe after service.

The veteran's appeal was denied for service connection for diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy, skin rashes and growths, and PTSD due to herbicide exposure. The case is REMANDED for rescheduling a Travel Board hearing.

The veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his hypertensive heart disease with hypertension and diabetes mellitus with peripheral vascular disease and lower extremity peripheral neuropathy are being remanded due to the need for additional evidence, including medical records from the Philadelphia VAMC.

The Board found that it was not factually ascertainable that the veteran's service-connected disabilities alone precluded his employment prior to October 20, 2004. Therefore, an effective date earlier than October 20, 2004 for the award of a TDIU is denied.

The veteran's claim for an increased evaluation of his service-connected back disability was granted, with a rating of 50 percent.

The VA denied a higher rating for the veteran's right ilioinguinal neuropathy, which is currently rated at 10 percent.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed conditions, including coronary artery disease, hypertension, chronic renal insufficiency, and peripheral neuropathy, are not related to his military service or service-connected diabetes mellitus. As such, these claims for secondary service connection have been denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities is attributable to active service and grants this claim.

The veteran's claimed conditions of benign prostatic hypertrophy, Parkinson's disease, and neuropathy were not shown to have had onset during service or within the one-year presumptive period following separation from service.,There is no evidence linking these conditions to Agent Orange exposure.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, tinea pedis, impotence, glaucoma, and peripheral neuropathy of both upper and lower extremities. The decision also found that severance of service connection for hypertension was not proper.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the veteran's current tinnitus is reasonably due to service and clearly associable with the tinnitus diagnosed on VA examination soon after service.