Radiculopathy & sciatica decisions — 2020

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection and increased rating due to a lack of recent VA examinations addressing his back, neck, and neurological conditions. The case is being returned to the RO for further development.

The Board has remanded the case due to a duty to assist error, specifically regarding the cause of death. The appellant must provide a medical opinion on whether any service-connected disability contributed to or caused the Veteran's death.

The Board dismissed the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates as they were not filed on the correct form and did not meet legal requirements.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's claims of service connection for various conditions as they were not properly appealed after a higher level review.

The Veteran's effective date for service connection of depressive disorder was changed from September 20, 2017 to March 3, 2018.,An effective date of April 25, 2018 was granted for the award of service connection for left lower extremity radiculopathy and a 20 percent rating for right lower extremity radiculopathy.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for specially adapted housing or a special home adaptation grant due to their impact on his upper and lower extremities, as they do not result in loss of use of both upper or lower extremities.

The Veteran's right knee retropatellar pain syndrome is granted an increased disability rating of 10 percent, effective from the date of the decision.,The Veteran's left knee retropatellar pain syndrome with limitation of motion during extension is granted an increased disability rating of 30 percent, effective from the date of the decision.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further examination and opinion regarding his service-connected IBS. The Board also found that the Veteran’s sciatic nerve radiculopathy does not warrant a higher rating.

The Board has granted a higher rating of 20 percent for radiculopathy of the left lower extremity, while other issues remain pending and are remanded.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a chronic low back disorder, finding that there is no evidence of an in-service injury and insufficient continuity of symptoms to establish service connection. The VA examiner opined that the current condition was not related to service.

The Veteran was granted TDIU for the period from January 28, 2008 to October 18, 2017.,SMC is remanded as there is no effective date provided.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinions in a previous decision. The Veteran's upper extremity disabilities are being reviewed again with new evidence and an updated opinion.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for radiculopathy of the right and left lower extremities as secondary to his service-connected back disability due to insufficient evidence in the record.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for lung cancer and numbness and tingling in arms and legs (diagnosed as bilateral CTS and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy) due to a lack of evidence showing a relationship between these conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's rotoscoliosis of the lumbar spine is granted a 40 percent rating, effective September 26, 2017. The issues regarding higher initial ratings for right lower extremity neuropathy are remanded.

The Veteran's left and right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy with sciatic nerve involvement have been granted initial ratings of 40 percent each, effective December 8, 2016.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation from August 31, 2010 to May 31, 2012. The Board granted the TDIU rating for this period.

The Board has remanded two issues related to the Veteran's entitlement to equipment purchases under the VR&E program. The first issue is about a sleep number bed, and the second is about a walk-in tub. Further development is needed for both claims.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected back disability and its neurological manifestations are remanded due to the need for additional development of the record.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his lumbar spine and lower extremity radiculopathy were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of the disability.