Radiculopathy & sciatica decisions — 2020

The Veteran's claim for an effective date earlier than March 25, 2018 for the award of a separate rating for right leg radiculopathy involving the sciatic nerve was denied. The Board found that there is no medical evidence showing the presence of this condition prior to May 25, 2018.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for brain embolism (stroke) was remanded due to a lack of development regarding whether his stroke was caused by his hypertension and/or diabetes mellitus.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for back disability and sciatica of the left and right lower extremities, finding that additional development is needed to determine the etiology of these conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including obstructive sleep apnea and thoracolumbar spine levoscoliosis curve, have rendered him unable to engage in substantially gainful employment.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for an earlier effective date prior to February 24, 2020 for increased ratings of 20 percent for right and left lower extremity radiculopathy.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a current VA examination to determine the severity of his service-connected left sciatic nerve involvement associated with bilateral post-herpetic pain syndrome and whether his drop foot is attributable to this condition.

The Veteran's claims are being remanded to obtain outstanding records of VA and VA-authorized treatment, including scanned/VistA imaging records. The right knee increased evaluation claims are also remanded for an adequate medical examination.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional examinations and evaluations to determine the current severity of her service-connected disabilities, including allergic rhinitis, bilateral lower extremity sciatica, toxic encephalopathy, cognitive disability with toxin-induced sleep disorder and dyssomnia, immune system injury, and loss of tolerance to chemicals. The Veteran's TDIU claim is also remanded.

The Veteran's service-connected DDD of thoracolumbar spine with IVDS is currently rated at 20 percent, effective October 17, 2019. The right lower extremity radiculopathy has been rated at 10 percent since the claim was filed.

An initial rating of 20 percent for a low back disability is granted from March 28, 2012.,Prior to April 28, 2016, an increased rating in excess of 20 percent for right lower extremity radiculopathy is denied. From April 28, 2016, a rating of 40 percent for right lower extremity radiculopathy is granted.,Throughout the appeal period, an initial rating in excess of 20 percent for left lower extremity radiculopathy is denied.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for left upper extremity radiculopathy and DDD of the cervical spine are being remanded due to inadequate VA examinations. The VA needs to provide additional information regarding the severity of these conditions, including during periods of flare-ups.

The Veteran's right lower and upper extremity radiculopathies are being remanded for further development as they may be related to his service-connected lumbar spine and right shoulder disabilities.

The Board has granted service connection for residuals of a low back injury, thoracic spine disorder, cervical spine disorder, and right foot disorder. The Veteran's conditions are found to be at least as likely as not related to her military service.

The Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the spine, LLE radiculopathy, and RLE radiculopathy have been granted disability ratings with effective dates from November 25, 2013 to March 1, 2020 for the former conditions, and from January 23, 2018 to March 1, 2020 for the latter. The Veteran's TDIU claim has been granted.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and radiculopathy of the lower extremities, finding that there is no evidence to support a diagnosis or link between these conditions and his military service. The case is being remanded again due to incomplete medical records and lack of proper opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's conditions.

The Veteran's cervical spine disability, right shoulder tendinitis, left shoulder tendinitis, and lumbosacral strain have been remanded for further examination to determine their etiology and severity.

The Veteran's radiculopathy of the left lower extremity, sciatic nerve is currently rated at 10 percent and denied an increased evaluation.,The Board found no evidence to support service connection for erectile dysfunction as secondary to service-connected PTSD.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral foot and knee disabilities, lower extremity radiculopathy, and a lower back disability, prevent him from securing and following substantially gainful employment consistent with his education and occupational experience since May 22, 2018.

The Board has reinstated service connection for PTSD and granted entitlement to a TDIU based on the Veteran's multiple service-connected disabilities preventing her from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of fibromyalgia, carpal tunnel syndrome, radiculopathy, bilateral hearing loss, right knee instability, or left knee instability. Therefore, service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Board has remanded the cases for a supplemental medical opinion to determine if the Veteran's low back disability and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy are related to service.