Radiculopathy & sciatica decisions — 2018

The Veteran's appeal for a rating in excess of 20 percent for right lower extremity sciatica was dismissed as service connection had been severed due to overlapping symptomatology. The appeals for residuals of prostate cancer and degenerative joint/disc disease of the lumbar spine are remanded.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a pinched nerve in the low back due to his service-connected lumbar spine disability is dismissed as moot because he has already been granted service connection for bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy.

The Board has denied an increased rating for hypertension and remanded the claim for lumbosacral strain to include sciatica and DDD due to insufficient evidence regarding the severity of the appellant's thoracolumbar disability.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection for right lower extremity sciatica was denied. The appeal is based on reopening the claim due to new evidence, but no specific effective date is assigned as the decision is final.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities, including low back disability, left and right hip disabilities, erectile dysfunction, bladder disability, and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, all of which were secondary to his claimed low back disability. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to his military service or injuries incurred therein.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to obtain and maintain substantially gainful employment, thus warranting a TDIU rating. The increased rating claim for the right tibia and fibula fracture is remanded.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for a sleep disability, hiatal hernia, and PTSD, as well as the evaluation of degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine and left leg radiculopathy due to incomplete development.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's service connection claims for lumbosacral spine disorder and bilateral lower extremity disorder, including radiculopathy. The appeals are granted.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for L4-L5 and L5-S1 degenerative disc disease with clinical left lumbar radiculopathy, peripheral neuropathy of the upper extremities, peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities, and major depression, to include insomnia. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient medical opinions regarding her hip, hand, and upper extremity disabilities. The low back disability claim is also being remanded as the VA examination did not include necessary joint testing.

The Veteran's service-connected myofascial syndrome and associated cervical spine disability are being remanded for further evaluation due to the need for a new VA examination.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for degenerative arthritis of the lumbosacral spine and radiculopathy of the left leg due to incomplete documentation and need for further examination.

Service connection for tinnitus is denied.,An effective date of March 23, 2010, and no earlier, for the grant of service connection for bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy is granted.

The Veteran's lumbosacral strain and associated radiculopathies have been granted increased ratings, effective from July 18, 2013. Special monthly compensation at the housebound rate has also been awarded.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his low back disability and associated left lower extremity nerve paralysis was denied. He received an initial 10 percent rating for the low back disability prior to September 24, 2012, and a 20 percent rating since then.

The Veteran's claims for higher disability ratings for his service-connected lumbar spine strain and right lower extremity radiculopathy are remanded due to inadequate VA examinations and the need for additional development.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and development of his service stressor allegations.

The Board has remanded three issues related to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities: degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, radiculopathy of the left lower extremity, and radiculopathy of the right lower extremity. The reasons for this are that the most recent VA examination report is inadequate in several aspects.

A rating of 20 percent for degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine is granted as of August 4, 2016. A higher rating is denied.

The Veteran's appeal includes claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, increases in the staged ratings of his lumbar spine disability, and initial increases in the staged ratings of radiculopathy left lower extremity. The Board has remanded these issues.,Service connection was granted for radiculopathy left lower extremity secondary to the Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine disability.