Peripheral neuropathy Board decisions

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to a lack of VA examination and medical records, particularly regarding the Veteran's in-service arthritis diagnosis. The Veteran must be provided with another VA examination.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to August 9, 2017 for prostate cancer was denied.,Service connection for hypertension (HTN) and peripheral neuropathy of the left upper extremity, right upper extremity, and left lower extremity were also denied.,There is no evidence of these conditions during service or within one year post-service. The Veteran's claims are based on direct service connection rather than a presumption due to exposure to herbicide agents.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea has been reopened and granted. The appeal is denied for the remaining issues, including high cholesterol, melanoma, hypothyroidism, peripheral neuropathy, kidney disability, heart disability, lumbar degenerative arthritis, PTSD, diabetes mellitus type II, erectile dysfunction, and TDIU.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for type II diabetes mellitus, early-onset peripheral neuropathy, and chloracne or other acneform disease consistent with chloracne due to herbicide exposure. The decision is based on the need for additional development regarding whether the Veteran served within the 12 nautical mile territorial sea of the Republic of Vietnam (RVN).

The Board has granted service connection for multifocal motor neuropathy in all four extremities due to presumed exposure to Agent Orange during service. The Veteran's condition is found to be related to his military service.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating of PTSD was withdrawn, and his claim for SMC-AA or at housebound rate was denied due to lack of evidence showing he requires regular aid and attendance.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for increased ratings for bilateral peripheral neuropathy in the lower extremities and erectile dysfunction, as these issues have already been adjudicated by the Board.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes, prostate condition, and peripheral neuropathy of various extremities due to exposure to herbicide agents while serving in Vietnam. The claims are being reviewed on a de novo basis as new evidence was provided by the enactment of the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019.

The Board has found that a new VA examination is needed to assess the current severity of the Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus type II, and also requested additional treatment records. The issues of TDIU have been raised as part of the claim for an increased rating for diabetes mellitus type II.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates prior to May 23, 2013 for the 20 percent evaluations of his right and left lower extremity peripheral neuropathies as secondary to his service-connected back disability have been denied.

The Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is granted as secondary to his service-connected PTSD.,The Veteran's colon cancer is granted as secondary to in-service exposure to herbicides.

The Board denied service connection for B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and the Veteran's military service.

Your claims for service connection have been granted. Diabetes mellitus type II, diabetic neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, and hypertension are now considered service-connected.,The Board has determined that new and material evidence was received to reopen your diabetes mellitus type II claim.

The Veteran's claim for bilateral hearing loss was denied due to lack of evidence meeting VA disability criteria. The new evidence does not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim.,The Veteran's claim for tinnitus was reopened as new and material evidence has been submitted, but service connection is still denied because there is no nexus between his period of service and his current condition.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection and evaluations of various disabilities have been dismissed. The Board has granted TDIU from January 23, 2018.

The Board has remanded several service connection claims due to the submission of new VA medical evidence and inextricably intertwined issues with a claim for TDIU.

The claims of service connection for diabetes, left lower extremity neuropathy, and hypertension were denied as there was no direct evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's active duty service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment, as his psychiatric condition does not severely impair his ability to work in a work environment that requires frequent interactions with others. His peripheral neuropathy is not found to interfere with his employability, and his diabetes mellitus type 2 does not prevent him from obtaining substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's service connection claims for ischemic heart disease, diabetes mellitus, and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities are granted due to presumed exposure to herbicide agents during his service in Vietnam.

The Veteran's application to reopen his claim for service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the right foot is granted. Service connection for spasmodic dysphonia is granted, but the case is remanded due to insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of the peripheral neuropathy.