Radiculopathy & sciatica decisions — 2017

The Veteran's appeal is remanded to allow for further development of the record, including a new VA examination and consideration of his TDIU claim.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further examination and review of his service-connected disabilities to determine if he requires aid and attendance due solely to these conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing and following substantially gainful employment, as he is currently employed full-time in electronic repair.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions have been denied due to lack of direct link to service. New and material evidence has not been submitted.,No effective date prior to July 1, 2011 is granted as the claim was received after that date.

The Veteran's cervical spine disability was rated at 10 percent prior to June 1, 2011 and increased to 20 percent thereafter.,Radiculopathy of the right upper extremity was initially evaluated as 20 percent disabling effective October 19, 2015. Radiculopathy of the left upper extremity was also rated at 20 percent effective that date.

The Veteran's claim for increased evaluation of his lumbar spine disability, to include separate compensable evaluations for bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, is being remanded due to the need for additional development.

The appellant's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's low back disability, characterized by pain and limited range of motion, was found to warrant a 20 percent rating from May 29, 2008, to December 21, 2015. Since then, the disability has not warranted an increased rating.

The Veteran's Hodgkin's lymphoma is service-connected, and the Board finds that his left shoulder, low back, neck, and sciatica disabilities are secondary to his now service-connected Hodgkin's lymphoma.,However, a new VA examination is needed to determine if any of these additional disabilities were aggravated by his service-connected Hodgkin's lymphoma.

The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of recent treatment records and for consideration of whether the Veteran's service-connected low back disability may have caused or aggravated his bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy.

The Veteran's claim for TDIU is being remanded due to the need for clarification on the impact of his service-connected conditions and nonservice-connected substance abuse disorder on his employment.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of a nexus between the claimed conditions and active service or service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's service-connected lumbar disc disease with sciatic nerve involvement was granted a 40 percent disability evaluation effective May 24, 2016. The issue of entitlement to TDIU due to service-connected disabilities remains on appeal.

The Veteran's appeal for SMC based on the need for regular aid and attendance or housebound status is dismissed. Service connection for radiculopathy of the lower extremities is granted.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the percentage requirement for a TDIU prior to September 20, 2016. The most probative evidence does not reflect that he was unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal for higher ratings for radiculopathy of the right lower extremity and TDIU prior to specific dates has been denied.

The Veteran's radiculopathy of the right upper extremity was rated at 30 percent from March 4, 2009 to March 15, 2010.,The Veteran's radiculopathy of the left upper extremity was rated at 20 percent from March 4, 2009 to March 15, 2010.

The Veteran's initial compensable evaluation for left leg sciatica prior to January 5, 2015 and a rating in excess of 20 percent thereafter has not been met. The Board finds that the criteria for an increased evaluation have not been satisfied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to assess the severity of his hypertension and peripheral neuropathy.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected lumbar spine and radiculopathy disability. The case will also be re-considered in light of any new evidence.