Radiculopathy & sciatica decisions — 2018

The Veteran's petition to reopen her claim of service connection for a lumbosacral strain was granted, and she is now entitled to service connection for this condition. The Board also found in favor of the Veteran on her secondary service connection claim for sciatic paralysis.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete development and need for additional medical opinions.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have been shown to preclude substantially gainful employment, and the Board finds that he is unemployable due to his service-connected disabilities on a schedular basis since March 11, 2008. The appeal for TDIU from February 28, 2008, to March 11, 2008, will be forwarded to the Director of Compensation and Pension Services for extraschedular consideration.

The Board denied service connection for a sciatic nerve disability as there was no evidence of an etiological relationship between the Veteran's active service and his current condition, nor could it be presumed related to service. The claim was also not granted on a secondary basis due to lack of medical nexus.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's left great toe ulcer and subsequent amputation, foot ulcer, segmental joint dysfunction and lumbago with sciatica, left knee osteoarthritis, left ankle degenerative joint disease, and pseudofolliculitis barbae as secondary to his service-connected right knee and ankle disabilities.

The Veteran's left lower extremity radiculopathy is rated at 20 percent effective July 11, 2018.,The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for lumbar strain with degenerative disc disease is denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings have been dismissed due to his death.

The Board has dismissed all issues of service connection and evaluations due to the Veteran's request for withdrawal prior to a decision.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and review of his treatment records.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and a rating for radiculopathy of the left lower extremity, adjustment disorder (claimed as PTSD), and ocular migraines have been dismissed due to his death.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his thoracolumbar strain was denied, and the TDIU claim was also denied.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for his low back disability and radiculopathy, left lower extremity are dismissed. The Board grants a TDIU based on the Veteran's service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings of his back disability and lower extremity radiculopathy was denied. The rating for the back disability remained at 40% prior to September 2, 2015, and decreased to 20% from that date until May 24, 2017. Separate compensable ratings were not assigned for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy.

The Board has granted service connection for a back disability, including low back strain with lumbar radiculopathy due to disc herniation at L5-S1, stenosis at L4-L5, and degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine. The evidence shows that the Veteran's current back disability had its onset in service and has been continuous since service.

The Veteran's application to reopen the claim for service connection for a right knee disability was denied as there is no current diagnosis of such.,Service connection for hypertension was denied due to lack of evidence showing it began during or within one year after service.,Service connection for GERD was denied because there is no evidence linking it to service, and the preponderance of the evidence indicates it did not arise until years after service.,Service connection for bilateral upper and lower extremity radiculopathy was denied as there is no current diagnosis or evidence supporting such a condition.

The Board dismissed all service connection claims except for the Veteran's TDIU claim, which was granted.

The Veteran's increased ratings for lumbar spine disability and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy have been denied as the evidence does not show that his conditions meet or approximate the criteria for a higher rating.

The Veteran's appeal includes multiple issues related to his service-connected PTSD, as well as claims for various other disabilities. The Board has determined that further development is necessary due to the need for updated medical examinations and opinions regarding the severity of PTSD and the etiology of asthma.

The Veteran's TBI residuals and right lower extremity radiculopathy are being remanded for further evaluation due to reported worsening symptoms.

The Veteran's right lower extremity radiculopathy and thoracolumbar spine disability have been granted service connection. The initial rating for the thoracolumbar spine disability has also been granted at a 20 percent level.