Radiculopathy & sciatica decisions — 2024

The Board has dismissed the appeal due to the Veteran's death, and no one has requested substitution.

The Board has denied the appellant's claim for a separate disability rating for his bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy as it is already contemplated by the current rating assigned for his service-connected lumbar spine disability.

The Board has granted service connection for left upper extremity radiculopathy on a secondary basis. The appeals for service connection for obesity, a neurologic condition affecting the right arm, a left thigh scar, and a torn left quadricep disability have been dismissed due to concurrent elections.

The Veteran's right and left lower extremity radiculopathy are currently rated at 10 percent disabling.,Both conditions have been found to be of a 'mild' severity, which corresponds with the current 10 percent rating.

The Board has determined that the appellant does not have a current diagnosis of sinusitis, IBS, migraine headaches, urinary incontinence, or RUE radiculopathy. Therefore, service connection for these conditions is denied.,Service connection for urinary incontinence and RUE radiculopathy are remanded as there may be additional evidence that could support the claims.

Service connection for plantar fasciitis and low back disability is dismissed as there are no eligible rating decisions in the year prior to receipt of the VA Form 10182.,Service connection for allergic rhinitis is granted based on a finding that it manifested within one year of service separation, with evidence not supporting an etiological link to service. Service connection for other stress and trauma related disorder with secondary alcohol use disorder is granted as it is linked to service.,Service connection for right shoulder disability (claimed as pain), left sciatica, and right sciatica is denied due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service.,Service connection for hypertension is denied because there is no evidence showing a chronic condition in service or manifesting within the applicable presumptive period. Service connection for dizziness is also denied due to lack of evidence supporting an etiological link to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment since March 18, 2020. The appeal is remanded for further development.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy (sciatic nerve) have been denied as the evidence does not support a rating in excess of 20 percent for the left condition or 40 percent for the right condition.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to address the Veteran's claims for service connection due to not following prior remand directives.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to inadequate examination reports and failure to comply with prior remand instructions.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for left lower extremity sciatic nerve and femoral nerve radiculopathy are remanded due to inconsistencies in the severity assessments provided by a VA examiner in July 2022.

The Board has granted earlier effective dates of March 30, 2022 for the Veteran's service connection claims related to left and right lower extremity radiculopathy and right hip osteoarthritis with labrum tear.

The Veteran's cervical spine degenerative arthritis is granted service connection.,Service connection for left and right upper extremity radiculopathy as secondary to the cervical spine arthritis is granted.,Service connection for left and right ankle strain, right shoulder strain, and left and right hip strain are all granted.,The Veteran's cervical spine degenerative arthritis is granted service connection.,Service connection for left and right upper extremity radiculopathy as secondary to the cervical spine arthritis is granted.,Service connection for left and right ankle strain, right shoulder strain, and left and right hip strain are all granted.,The Veteran's cervical spine degenerative arthritis is granted service connection.,Service connection for left and right upper extremity radiculopathy as secondary to the cervical spine arthritis is granted.

The Veteran's radiculopathy of the left femoral nerve is currently rated at 10 percent, but the Board found that a higher rating is not warranted due to normal objective findings and subjective symptoms.,The Veteran's radiculopathy of the right sciatic nerve is also currently rated at 10 percent, with the same reasoning as above.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation consistent with his education and work history, as determined by the Board.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a higher initial rating of 10 percent for his service-connected right lower extremity radiculopathy, finding that the evidence did not show more than mild incomplete paralysis.

The Veteran's right lower extremity radiculopathy, sciatic was granted an increased disability rating of 20 percent effective December 16, 2020.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to their death during the pendency of the appeal. The claims are not currently under consideration.

The Veteran's lumbar spine strain and right lower extremity radiculopathy claims were denied as the evidence did not support higher ratings under applicable criteria.,Compensable ratings for scars of the posterior and anterior trunk were also denied due to lack of qualifying scar area or underlying soft tissue damage.

The Veteran's somatic symptom disorder, radiculopathy of the left and right lower extremities, tinnitus, allergic rhinitis (claimed as sinus condition), carpal tunnel syndrome of the right upper extremity, gastroenteritis, hemorrhoids, iliopsoas tendinitis of the right hip, irritable bowel syndrome, left ankle condition, left flatfoot, left knee condition, right ankle condition, right flatfoot, right knee, sleep apnea, and varicose veins of both lower extremities are all granted.,The Veteran's service connection claims for allergic rhinitis (claimed as sinus condition), carpal tunnel syndrome of the right upper extremity, gastroenteritis, hemorrhoids, irritable bowel syndrome, obstructive sleep apnea, and varicose veins of both lower extremities are remanded.