The Veteran's claim for service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper extremities is denied as he does not have this condition. The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 50 percent, but the Board finds that it does not meet or more nearly approximate total occupational and social impairment. The December 1970 rating decision regarding a 10 percent rating for multiple noncompensable service-connected disabilities from August 5, 1971 to February 19, 2009 is final.
The deciding factor: The Veteran does not have peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper extremities. The VA examination reports and treatment records show diagnoses of cervical radiculopathy rather than diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the upper extremities.
- Claimed conditions
- Peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper extremities, Cervical radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 2, 2017
- Citation
- 1702908
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 1702908.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board has granted separate ratings of 30 percent for left upper extremity cervical radiculopathy and 40 percent for right upper extremity cervical radiculopathy, effective March 16, 2017.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to her service-connected disabilities, finding that she was not unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation consistent with her education and work history.
- Granted
The Veteran's ratings for cervical radiculopathy in both upper extremities were reduced from 40% and 30%, respectively, to 20%. The Board found that the procedural requirements for reduction of disability ratings were not properly followed and restored the original ratings.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case for a new medical opinion regarding the Veteran's eligibility for PCAFC benefits due to insufficient reasoning in the previous decision. The claim will be reconsidered based on all available evidence, including lay statements and medical opinions.
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