Radiculopathy & sciatica decisions — 2019

The Board denied service connection for a right shoulder disability and denied increased ratings for left shoulder strain, lumbar spine disability, lumbar radiculopathy of the left lower extremity, right knee instability, and right knee limitation of extension. The Veteran's current disabilities are currently rated based on their severity.

The Veteran's back condition, left shoulder impingement, and radiculopathy of the left lower extremity have been granted or remanded. Service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus remains unresolved.,Service connection for degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine has not been established.

The Veteran's bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy (sciatica) is granted as service connected. The claims for mitral valve prolapse, positional orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), residuals of a stroke, and gastrointestinal reflux disease (GERD) are denied.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for osteoarthritis of the cervical spine and lumbar spine, as well as left upper extremity radiculopathy (LUE), have been denied.,A total rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities has been granted from December 7, 2017.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings were denied. The AOJ also dismissed the claim of an earlier effective date for left hip degenerative joint disease.

The Board has granted service connection for left leg, right hip, left foot, and sciatica disabilities to include as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected right knee traumatic comminuted patella fracture with patellectomy.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy due to discrepancies in reported symptoms and findings between previous examinations.

The Board has granted service connection for right ear hearing loss, low back pain, and lumbar radiculopathy. The evidence supports a link between the Veteran's in-service noise exposure and his current right ear hearing loss, as well as a link between his in-service lifting duties and his current low back pain and associated radiculopathy.

The Veteran's back disability and related radiculopathy are being remanded for further evaluation, including a VA examination to assess the current severity of his conditions. The TDIU claim is also being remanded due to its inextricable link with the other claims.

The Board has remanded the cases due to inadequate development and need for additional medical examination.

The Board denied earlier effective dates for the award of service connection for right and left lower extremity radiculopathy, finding that compensable ratings were not warranted prior to January 24, 2014.

The Board has granted service connection for radiculopathy of the left lower extremity and denied TDIU due to insufficient evidence showing that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevent him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's back disability, left lower extremity radiculopathy, right lower extremity radiculopathy, and neurological impairment of the groin have been granted service connection. An initial rating in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus has been denied. An initial compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss has also been denied.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating and TDIU was denied. The radiculopathy of the left lower extremity associated with degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine is rated at 40 percent, effective June 16, 2016. The preponderance of evidence does not support entitlement to TDIU on either a schedular or extraschedular basis prior to June 16, 2016.

The Veteran's intervertebral disc syndrome and left lower extremity radiculopathy have worsened since his last VA examination, necessitating a new evaluation.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for urinary incontinence and TDIU due to his service-connected disabilities. The evidence did not support a finding that the urinary incontinence was related to his service or service-connected conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are found to be of such severity that they preclude substantially gainful employment, and the Board grants his claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings were denied. The Board found no evidence of diabetes mellitus being incurred in or aggravated by service, and the cervical spine and lumbar spine disabilities did not meet the criteria for higher ratings.

The Veteran's radiculopathy of the right femoral nerve was granted service connection effective December 24, 2014.,A scar of the right leg was also granted service connection effective December 24, 2014. The rating for this condition is currently at 10%.,The Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the right shoulder received a 10% disability rating effective December 24, 2013.,GERD and IBS were granted service connection effective December 24, 2014. The Veteran is currently rated at 30% for these conditions.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for the separate ratings of radiculopathy, femoral nerve and sciatic nerve of the left lower extremity were denied.,The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for radiculopathy, sciatic nerve of the right lower extremity was also denied.