Citation Nr: 21013073
Decision Date: 03/08/21	Archive Date: 03/08/21

DOCKET NO. 18-13 218
DATE: March 8, 2021

REMANDED

Entitlement to service connection for bilateral lower extremity neuropathy is remanded.

REASONS FOR REMAND

The Veteran served in the Air Force from June 1961 to March 1966 and in the Army from November 1968 to September 1974. The Veteran served on subsequent periods of active duty for training (ACDUTRA) and inactive duty for training (INACDUTRA) in the United States Army Reserves from November 1962 to March 1987 and in the National Guard from March 1987 to August 1997. 

This matter comes before the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (Board) on appeal from a February 2015 rating decision issued by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional Office (RO).

In October 2019, the Veteran provided sworn testimony before the undersigned Veterans Law Judge (VLJ) at a Board hearing. A copy of the hearing transcript has been associated with the electronic claims file. 

In December 2019, the Board remanded the issue on appeal, in part, to obtain a medical opinion on the etiology of his bilateral lower extremity neuropathy. The Veteran was afforded a VA examination in February 2020. The examiner concluded it is less likely the Veteran’s symptoms were caused by the Veteran’s military service, to include conceded Agent Orange exposure. However, service connection has since been granted for Parkinson’s disease, and the Veteran’s representative has raised the argument of secondary service connection. See Informal Hearing Presentation, January 2021. The Board sincerely regrets this further delay. However, an additional remand is required to address secondary service connection. 

The matters are REMANDED for the following action:

1. Obtain any VA treatment records from August 2020 to the present and associate them with the claims file. 

2. Refer the file to an examiner to obtain an opinion as to whether the Veteran’s lower extremity sensory neuropathy has been caused or aggravated (worsened) by his service-connected Parkinson’s disease. A rationale for all opinions expressed should be provided. 

 

 

MICHELLE L. KANE

Veterans Law Judge

Board of Veterans’ Appeals

Attorney for the Board	Parker N. Reynolds, Associate Counsel

The Board’s decision in this case is binding only with respect to the instant matter decided. This decision is not precedential and does not establish VA policies or interpretations of general applicability. 38 C.F.R. § 20.1303.