Radiculopathy & sciatica decisions — 2018

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a back disability is granted with an effective date of March 16, 2012. A rating of 20 percent is assigned for the entire appeal period.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for radiculopathy of the right lower extremity and left lower radiculopathy, and remanded his claims for post-operative residuals of a discectomy of L4-5, L5-S1, with degenerative disc disease, and migraine headaches.

The Veteran's radiculopathy of the right upper extremity is granted at a rating of 40 percent, effective from the date of examination. The Veteran's radiculopathy of the left upper extremity remains at a rating of 30 percent throughout the appeal period.

The Veteran was granted service connection for a skin disorder (tinea versicolor) and radiculopathy of the left lower extremity, but denied service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder. The Veteran's right lower extremity radiculopathy is rated at 20 percent, while his left lower extremity radiculopathy and monoparesis are rated at 40 percent from September 14, 2015.,The Veteran was denied a TDIU based on the service-connected radiculopathies. The issue of service connection for sleep apnea is remanded.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU have been remanded due to the need for additional examinations, as well as obtaining outstanding VA records.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claims should be remanded due to new VA treatment records and the need for new examinations to assess current disability severity.

The Board dismissed all the issues related to service connection and increased evaluations due to the Veteran's death.

The Board has remanded the claims for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent from August 29, 2007, to July 12, 2015, and 20 percent thereafter, for service-connected lumbar degenerative disc disease; LLE radiculopathy; RLE radiculopathy; and TDIU.

The Board denied service connection for back, left ankle, left foot, left hip, and right hip disabilities. The Veteran's current lower back conditions are not related to the alleged in-service forklift incident.,The Veteran's left ankle condition is also not related to the alleged in-service forklift incident.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for various conditions due to insufficient evidence and need for further examination.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings and earlier effective dates have been remanded due to the need for further development of evidence.

The Board has granted service connection for residuals of a traumatic brain injury, neck disability, low back disability, and radiculopathy of the left lower extremity. The evidence supports these findings.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for lumbar spine and LLE radiculopathy have been dismissed. The Board has granted a TDIU based on the Veteran's service-connected disabilities.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to new evidence submitted by him. The AOJ should review this additional evidence and readjudicate the claims.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and examination to determine the current severity of the Veteran's service-connected left knee strain, lumbar spine strain with arthritis, and lower left radiculopathy. The issues are inextricably intertwined due to their interrelated nature.

The Veteran's tinnitus is currently rated at 10 percent and the claim for a higher rating is denied. The lumbar strain, radiculopathy of the bilateral lower extremities, and femoral nerve involvement to the right lower extremity are remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection of a knee and leg disability, including as secondary to his chronic recurrent low back pain syndrome, was dismissed. The claim for an increased rating for right S1 radiculopathy was denied prior to August 1, 2013, but granted from that date onward with the highest possible rating.

The Veteran's claim for an increased evaluation for left L3 and L4 radiculopathy, including muscle atrophy of the left lower extremity, is denied as there is no evidence of severe incomplete paralysis with marked muscular atrophy.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to issues with the evidence and because a decision on one claim could significantly impact another.

The Board has remanded the claims for thoracic outlet syndrome, brachial plexus neuropathy, and radiculopathy of both upper and lower extremities due to additional evidence submitted by the Veteran.