Radiculopathy & sciatica decisions — 2019

The Veteran's claims for service connection for right foot drop, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and bilateral upper extremity radiculopathy have been denied as there is no current diagnosis or functional impairment related to these conditions. The Veteran also has a denial on his increased rating claims for his knee disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for her service-connected back and heart disorders are being remanded due to outstanding medical records. She is seeking earlier effective dates for the 20 and 30 percent disability ratings.

The Board denied service connection for right shoulder, right ankle, and bilateral hearing loss disabilities. It also denied increased ratings for COPD, radiculopathy of the left lower extremity, and residuals of a thoracic spine fracture.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support higher ratings or additional service connections.

The Veteran's tinnitus, lumbar strain, and left lower extremity radiculopathy have been granted service connection. An initial 40 percent evaluation has been granted for the lumbar strain condition, effective April 23, 2012. A separate 10 percent evaluation has also been granted for the left lower extremity radiculopathy beginning September 7, 2017.

The Board denied service connection for obstructive sleep apnea secondary to PTSD and for sciatic nerve paralysis (claimed as restless leg syndrome) due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's active service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to issues with radiculopathy and TDIU. The specific issues are related to right lower extremity, left lower extremity, right upper extremity, and left upper extremity radiculopathy.

The Veteran's claim for a TDIU prior to July 26, 2017 was denied as the evidence did not show that his service-connected disabilities rendered him unemployable.

The Board restored the Veteran's 100% rating for his lower back disability, effective September 1, 2016.,An effective date of October 30, 2003 was granted for service connection for right lower extremity radiculopathy.,The Veteran's claim for an initial disability rating higher than 10 percent for his right lower extremity radiculopathy was denied.

The Veteran's claim for a higher evaluation of his service-connected chronic low back strain is being remanded due to the need for further examination and opinion regarding whether his service-connected condition has aggravated other disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for various disabilities, including lumbar spine disability, bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, cervical spine disability, bilateral upper extremity radiculopathy, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and foot disability have all been denied. The Board found no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome was denied. The claims for service connection for low back disorder, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and right lower extremity radiculopathy were all granted.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of low back disability and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy was denied as there is no evidence of a prior claim before April 27, 2015.

The Veteran's service connection claims for various conditions were denied. The appeals are not about service connection at all, but rather increased ratings and remand of certain issues.

The Board has granted an effective date of May 11, 2004 for the Veteran's left lower extremity radiculopathy associated with his service-connected low back disability.

Your claim for service connection for radiculopathy of the left lower extremity has been granted, and it is no longer a matter under appeal.

The Veteran's appeals to reopen previously denied service connection claims for various conditions, as well as increased ratings and effective date claims, have been dismissed due to the Veteran withdrawing his appeal.

The Veteran's lumbosacral strain (low back disability) was denied a rating in excess of 20 percent prior to February 19, 2016 and in excess of 40 percent thereafter.,The Veteran's thoracic syrinx (fluid on spinal cord) was not granted an increased rating.,A separate 10 percent rating for radiculopathy of the left lower extremity associated with the lumbosacral strain (low back disability) prior to October 16, 2015 was granted.

The Veteran's claims for headaches, increased ratings for hearing loss and depression, initial ratings for back disability and radiculopathy, and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional development.,VA examinations will be scheduled to assess the severity of his service-connected conditions and their impact on employment.

The Board has determined that additional medical records are needed to properly evaluate the Veteran's claims, and remands for further development are ordered.