Peripheral neuropathy Board decisions

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection have been denied. The Veteran is currently rated at 60% for chronic kidney disease/diabetic nephropathy with hypertension, 20% for diabetes mellitus, type II, and 10% each for tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, peripheral neuropathy of the upper extremities, and radiculopathy of the lower extremities.

The Veteran's GIST, left and right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy have been rated at the maximum allowed under VA guidelines. The Board found no basis to grant higher ratings for these conditions.

The Veteran has withdrawn all appeals related to the issues of service connection for various conditions, including diabetes mellitus, type II, gout, hypertension, nephrolithiasis and stage IV kidney failure, left knee replacement and pain disability, right knee pain disability, left upper extremity radiculopathy (hand numbness), left lower extremity neuropathy and radiculopathy, right upper extremity radiculopathy (hand numbness), right lower extremity neuropathy and radiculopathy, lumbar back pain and degenerative joint disease (DJD), and atrial fibrillation and coronary calcifications, status-post ablation.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed peripheral neuropathies of the bilateral upper and lower extremities are not related to his service, including his exposure to herbicide agents. Therefore, service connection for these claims is denied.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for diabetic sensory polyneuropathy in the upper and lower extremities were denied. The RO found that his conditions did not meet the criteria for higher disability ratings based on the severity of his symptoms.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the assignment of a 40 percent rating for right upper extremity radiculopathy is denied. The claim for service connection for diabetic peripheral neuropathy, right lower extremity is also denied as it was granted based on the February 22, 2023 submission of his increased rating claim for diabetes mellitus type II.

The Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus and diabetic peripheral neuropathy disabilities have rendered him unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment due to their functional impact on his fine motor skills and muscular weakness.

The Veteran's claims for increased disability ratings and service connection have been dismissed due to his death.

The Veteran's sciatic nerve and femoral nerve peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities have been granted increased disability ratings, with 40 percent for each affected nerve in both legs, effective from April 29, 2019.

The Veteran's claims for service connection related to DM, diabetic peripheral neuropathy, diabetic retinopathy, hypertension, and CAD have been granted under the PACT Act. The Veteran was exposed to herbicide agents in Guam.,Service connection has also been established for prostate cancer and Parkinson's Disease.

The Veteran's service-connected diabetic nephropathy is granted with an effective date of April 22, 2019.

The Board has determined that there are pre-decisional duty-to-assist errors in the previous VA opinions and requires additional medical opinion to determine if the Veteran's bilateral lower extremity neuropathy is caused or aggravated by his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for diabetes, peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, and tinnitus was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating for any condition.

The Veteran's appeals regarding various disabilities were dismissed due to his death while the appeal was pending.

The Board has denied service connection for various conditions, including psychiatric disabilities, allergic rhinitis, kidney disability, ED, GERD, peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, shoulder disabilities, liver disability, and lung disability. The appeal is not about service connection at all.

The Veteran's service connection claim for DMII was granted effective April 11, 2020. The initial evaluations for lumbosacral strain and left knee pain were denied. The Veteran's peripheral neuropathy disabilities are rated at 20 percent each since April 24, 2021.

The appeal for TDIU from August 1, 2019 is dismissed. The appeal for SMC at the housebound rate from August 2, 2019 to October 7, 2021 is denied.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for service connection for sciatic neuropathy of the left lower extremity, as it found a pre-decisional duty to assist error. The AOJ will consider any additional evidence when the claim is readjudicated.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded due to conflicting evidence regarding exposure to tactical herbicide agents. The Board will conduct further development to determine the Veteran's service aboard ships and any potential exposure.

The Veteran's combined disability rating is 100 percent, but he does not have a single disability rated at 100 percent. The Board finds that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities alone do not result in the need for aid and attendance.