Peripheral neuropathy Board decisions

The Board has dismissed all issues related to service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities due to the Veteran's request for withdrawal of his appeal.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been denied. The Board found no evidence of a distinct disability characterized as 'swelling' or 'seizure disability.' Service connection was also denied for substance abuse (alcohol) disorder, stroke residuals, and peripheral neuropathy due to lack of competent medical evidence.

The Veteran's initial ratings for bilateral hearing loss, PTSD, and peripheral neuropathy are granted. The claim of service connection for bilateral cataracts is remanded.

The Veteran's petition to reopen claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus type II, bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, and bilateral upper extremity peripheral neuropathy as secondary to diabetes mellitus type II is granted. The claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, including as due to PTSD, is remanded.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected. The Board has remanded the issues of left and right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy due to exposure to Agent Orange, but did not make a decision on these claims.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes, bilateral upper and lower extremity peripheral neuropathies are denied as there is no evidence of exposure to herbicide agents/Agent Orange in Vietnam or on the USS Ranger. The claimed disabilities were not shown to be related to service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the left and right lower extremities, as well as PTSD, were denied. The claim for a TDIU due to service-connected disabilities was granted.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals seeking earlier effective dates and increased ratings for peripheral neuropathy of all four extremities.

The Board has decided that an effective date earlier than June 30, 2011 for the award of service connection for right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy of the sciatic nerve is not warranted. The Veteran's claim was denied in July 2010 and reopened on June 30, 2011. The Board has also decided to remand the issue of entitlement to a higher initial rating for right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy of the sciatic nerve due to a duty-to-assist error.

The Veteran's total combined disability rating remains at 60 percent after the grant of a 10 percent evaluation for hypertension, as his other service-connected conditions do not warrant an increase in the overall rating.

The Board has remanded the cases due to insufficient information regarding the Veteran's exposure to herbicide agents during service. They need to determine if the U.S.S. Kitty Hawk was in additional areas as noted in the PACT Act, such as Thailand, Cambodia, Guam, American Samoa, and Johnston Atoll Island.

The Board denied service connection for a low back disability, left leg radiculopathy, right leg radiculopathy, and left foot condition. Service connection was granted for post-traumatic head injury (to include neurocognitive disorder) and anxiety.,Service connection for chest pains was not established.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for separate and/or higher evaluations for post-operative residuals of left knee meniscectomy on an extraschedular basis, but has remanded the issue of entitlement to a total disability evaluation due to individual unemployability (TDIU) on an extraschedular basis prior to May 30, 2017. The Veteran's claim for TDIU is now referred to the Director of Compensation Service for consideration.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevent him from securing and maintaining substantially gainful employment since July 29, 2012. TDIU is granted effective that date.

The Veteran's asthma is found to be related to his service exposure to asbestos, and thus service connection for this condition is granted.,Service connection for the Veteran's peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity is denied as there is no evidence that it was incurred in or aggravated by his military service.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss is currently rated as noncompensable. The Board finds that a compensable rating is not warranted.,Service connection for neuropathy of the left and right lower extremities has been granted, with evidence linking it to in-service herbicide exposure.,New and material evidence has been received to reopen the claim of service connection for pituitary adenoma. The Veteran's current vision loss in the right eye is being considered as secondary to his pituitary adenoma.

The Board denied service connection for diabetes and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities, finding that there was no evidence of herbicide exposure in Korea and that the conditions were not related to service.

The Board has dismissed all claims for service connection due to the Veteran's death.

The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral upper and lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, hypertension, heart disorder, and GERD due to potential issues with the opinions provided. The ED claim is also remanded as it is intertwined with the underlying conditions.

The Board has remanded the claims for diabetes mellitus, right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, and left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy due to additional VA treatment records being added to the case file. The appellant's attorney declined initial RO review of these records, and an addendum medical opinion is required regarding whether his peripheral neuropathies are related to presumed herbicide exposure in service.