Radiculopathy & sciatica decisions — 2019

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions due to insufficient development and lack of medical nexus opinions. The Veteran is required to provide more specific information about his in-service stressors, a VA examination must be provided for psychiatric disorders, and further examinations are needed for the lumbar spine, right knee, left foot numbness, bilateral hip pain, and bilateral lower extremity sciatica.

The Veteran's claim for service connection of a right lower extremity neurological disability other than radiculopathy is denied as there is no current evidence of such a condition. The claims for increased ratings for lumbar spine degenerative disc disease and back scars are also denied.

The Veteran's current diagnoses of lumbosacral degenerative disc disease, spondylosis, and radiculopathy are found to be related to his in-service back injuries. The Board granted service connection for these conditions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to inadequate VA examinations regarding his lumbar spine disability and left lower extremity radiculopathy. The Veteran is seeking higher ratings for these conditions, but the current evidence does not provide sufficient information on the severity of his symptoms during flare-ups.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for radiculopathy of both his right and left lower extremities, finding that there is no evidence to support a link between these conditions and his active service.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his low back disability and right lower extremity radiculopathy are being remanded due to the addition of new VA treatment records. These records need to be reviewed by the AOJ before further decisions can be made.

The Board has remanded the case for a new VA examination to assess the functional impact of prolonged repetitive use and flare-ups on the Veteran's low back disability. The TDIU claim is also being remanded as it involves the same time periods as the increase rating claim.

The Veteran's service connection for LLE radiculopathy was granted secondary to his service-connected low back disability. The effective date of this grant is set at May 18, 2007.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD and low back disability, have rendered him unemployable as of September 5, 2013. The Board has granted TDIU based on the combined rating of his service-connected conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's back disability as secondary to his service-connected right knee disability.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection and increased ratings, finding that it was not factually ascertainable that his PTSD had worsened to a level warranting a 70% rating within one year prior to June 29, 2017.

The Veteran has withdrawn their appeals for a compensable rating for hallux valgus of the left foot and service connection for carpal tunnel syndrome, bilateral upper extremities.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and an opinion regarding the etiology of any current back disability, including associated right lower extremity radiculopathy. The Veteran's claims for service connection remain pending.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is granted since July 13, 2007 due to his service-connected disabilities preventing him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and the Board has granted entitlement to TDIU.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional examinations and opinions to address the nature and etiology of his sleep apnea, as well as the severity of his back disability with associated radiculopathy of the bilateral lower extremities. The issues of service connection for sleep apnea, ratings for lumbar strain with degenerative arthritis, radiculopathy of the left and right lower extremities, and TDIU are also remanded.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected right lower extremity radiculopathy, right knee chondromalacia with degenerative arthritis, left knee chondromalacia, and spondylosis of the lumbar spine have been denied. The evidence does not support a higher rating under any applicable diagnostic codes.

The Board denied service connection for degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine, radiculopathy in the right lower extremity, and radiculopathy in the left lower extremity. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred or aggravated by service.

The Board has remanded several issues related to service connection for various lower extremity conditions, including the left leg below the knee amputation and its associated scars. The effective dates for these grants of service connection are not yet determined.

The Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine with radiculitis is currently rated at 10 percent from February 27, 2013 to October 24, 2018 and 20 percent thereafter. The Board finds that these ratings are not supported by the evidence.,The Veteran's right lower extremity radiculopathy is currently rated at 20 percent. The Board finds that this rating is not supported by the evidence.