Radiculopathy & sciatica decisions — 2023

The Veteran's chronic adjustment disorder was granted service connection. The Board also remanded several other issues for further examination and opinion.

The Board has remanded the claims for increased ratings for lumbar spine disability, left and right lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy due to issues with obtaining a VA examination.

Your service connection claim for right side sciatica has been dismissed as moot because your radiculopathy, right lower extremity, sciatic nerve, was already granted in a previous decision.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's back condition claim requires additional development due to issues with the January 2021 VA examination and concerns about the competency of the examiner. The case is being remanded for further action.

The Board has remanded the case for further action, including referral to the Director of Compensation and Pension Service for extraschedular TDIU consideration. The effective date for TDIU remains at November 27, 2009.

The Board has remanded the claims for further evidentiary development due to inconsistent findings regarding trophic changes in the lower extremities between two VA examinations.

The Veteran's appeals have been dismissed as the appellant has withdrawn his appeal in its entirety.

The Board has decided to remand several issues related to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including low back disability, radiculopathy of the lower extremities, ankle disabilities, and right shoulder disability. The appeals are being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and arranging for updated examinations.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for upper and lower back conditions, as well as a left wrist condition, have been granted.,Service connection is established for the Veteran's upper and lower back conditions based on evidence showing they are related to his military service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for GERD and has remanded his secondary service connection claim for lumbosacral strain and degenerative arthritis of the spine to include as secondary to left ankle osteoarthritis, residuals of shell fragment wound with fracture and strain left lateral malleolus.

The Board has determined that the VA examination report is inadequate and remands the case for a new opinion regarding whether the Veteran's right lower extremity radiculopathy is related to his in-service event.

The Board has denied service connection for a low back disability and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy as secondary to the low back disability due to lack of evidence showing chronic in-service injury or disease, no continuity of symptomatology, and insufficient medical nexus opinions.

The Board denied a higher rating for the Veteran's lumbar spine disability, finding that it did not meet or approximate the criteria for ratings higher than 20 percent prior to October 28, 2019 and higher than 40 percent thereafter.

The Veteran's sciatic nerve radiculopathy and lumbar disability have been granted increased ratings of 40 percent from March 1, 2016 to October 29, 2018. The cervical disability has also been granted an increased rating.

The Board has restored the Veteran's reduced disability ratings for bilateral lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy from 20 percent to 20 percent, effective January 1, 2019. The claim for an increased evaluation in excess of 20 percent for bilateral lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy is denied.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings and service connection are remanded due to the need for additional examinations and opinions.

The Board has remanded the claims for further development due to newly associated evidence.

The Board has dismissed the neck and back condition claims, and has remanded the left upper extremity radiculopathy claim. The right upper extremity radiculopathy claim is also remanded.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a disability rating in excess of 10 percent for her back disability, as well as her service connection claims for bilateral upper and lower extremity radiculopathy. The Veteran is to be provided with new VA examinations to address these issues.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for an increased evaluation of his service-connected low back condition and associated radiculopathy due to inadequate examination reports, lack of updated treatment records, and conflicting findings between VA examinations.