Peripheral neuropathy Board decisions

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not render him unemployable prior to August 10, 2022. Beginning August 10, 2022, his combined disability rating is 100 percent and the issue of TDIU is dismissed as moot due to the presence of other service-connected disabilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right and left leg neuropathy, numbness, and nerve damage did not manifest in service or are otherwise related to service. The claim for service connection for these conditions is denied. The Board also found no evidence of a current right ankle disability and thus remanded the issue for further examination.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral upper extremity peripheral neuropathy due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error. The examiner is required to provide an opinion on whether it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran's peripheral neuropathy manifested in service, within one year of separation from service, or is otherwise related to service.

The Veteran seeks an earlier effective date for his TDIU and DEA benefits. The Board finds that referral to the Director of Compensation Service is required due to a reasonable possibility of unemployability prior to April 28, 2016.

The Board denied service connection for right foot neuropathy, left leg peripheral neuropathy, and left foot peripheral neuropathy as these conditions were not shown to be related to the Veteran's active military service or exposure to Agent Orange.

The Veteran's travel to a VA medical appointment on May 8, 2024, was related to his service-connected diabetes mellitus. As the treatment was for a service-connected condition, he is eligible for reimbursement of beneficiary travel.

The Veteran's gastroesophageal reflux disease is granted a 30 percent rating. The ratings for his left and right lower extremity radiculopathy and diabetic peripheral neuropathy are denied.

The Board denied service connection for erectile dysfunction, but granted it for neuropathy of the left and right lower extremities due to herbicide exposure.,Service connection was granted for bilateral lower extremity neuropathy on a direct basis due to herbicide exposure.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation (SMC) based on loss of use of both arms and legs, finding that his conditions did not meet the criteria for SMC(k), SMC(l), or any other applicable rating.

The Board has remanded the claims for COPD, essential tremors of the bilateral hands, LUE and RUE peripheral neuropathy, and movement disorder with gait instability due to a duty to assist error in not considering all MOS assignments and exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. The Veteran's service connection claims are remanded for VA examinations and medical opinions regarding the relationship between these conditions and military service.

The Board dismissed the appeal as untimely because the Veteran did not timely file a VA Form 10182 and no good cause was shown to extend the time for filing.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient development and consideration of all relevant evidence, including a new VA examination that confirmed right upper extremity muscle weakness and burning sensations at night.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, finding that it is related to exposure to herbicide agents and manifested within one year of separation from service.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus, type I is granted a 60 percent evaluation from March 18, 2013 to February 1, 2019. Right and left lower extremity sciatica with diabetic peripheral neuropathy are each granted a 20 percent evaluation from April 5, 2022.

The Veteran's initial ratings for peripheral neuropathy affecting the bilateral upper and lower extremities have been granted, with a 50 percent rating for right upper extremity, a 40 percent rating for left upper extremity, a 60 percent rating for right lower extremity, and a 60 percent rating for left lower extremity.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for peripheral neuropathy and residuals of third-degree burn, right hand was granted with an effective date of March 22, 1993. The Board found that the new evidence received in February 2021, including a line-of-duty investigation from 1984, established entitlement to service connection.

The Veteran's bilateral upper extremity and lower extremity diabetic neuropathy conditions are currently rated at the minimum level of disability, with no evidence of more severe symptoms warranting a higher rating.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to his death during the pendency of the appeal. The surviving daughter filed for substitution, but she was not eligible and the case was withdrawn by the Court.

The Veteran's claims for service connection of his right arm and hand disabilities are remanded due to insufficient evidence on the nexus between these conditions and his military service.