Radiculopathy & sciatica decisions — 2024

The Veteran's appeals for service connection and initial ratings for sciatic radicular pain, chronic sinusitis, and allergic rhinitis have been dismissed as he has withdrawn his appeal.

The Veteran's degenerative disc disease of the lumbosacral spine with right lower radiculopathy is related to service and has been granted.

The Veteran's right and left ankle disabilities are currently rated as 10 percent each, with no higher ratings possible under the applicable diagnostic codes.,The Veteran's radiculopathy of the right upper extremity musculocutaneous nerve is rated at 10 percent, while his radiculopathy of the long thoracic nerve remains noncompensable.

The Board has decided that the VA examination in December 2020 is inadequate and remands the case for a new examination to determine if the Veteran's left lower extremity radiculopathy is related to his service-connected lower back disability.

The Board dismissed the appeal because there was no decision regarding eligibility for attorney fees with respect to a March 2021 HLR decision, and thus the matter is premature.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate VA medical opinions in its August 2023 decision, and now needs to provide a new opinion on whether the Veteran's back conditions are related to his military service.

The Veteran's TDIU was granted effective July 1, 2019.,Basic eligibility to Dependents' Educational Assistance under 38 U.S.C. Chapter 35 is established as of July 1, 2019.

The Veteran's claim for PTSD with panic attacks was granted effective January 29, 2021.,The Veteran's claims for lumbosacral strain and cervical strain were granted effective November 13, 2020.,The Veteran's claims for left upper extremity radiculopathy and right upper extremity radiculopathy were granted as secondary to the service-connected cervical strain.

The Veteran's claims for an increased rating for his lumbosacral strain and service connection for left lower extremity radiculopathy are remanded due to the need for additional examinations and opinions.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection for his cervical spine, lumbar spine, upper extremity, and lower extremity radiculopathies are being remanded due to the need for additional VA examinations to assess the severity of these conditions.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to his death, and no jurisdiction remains for the merits of any claims.

The Board dismissed all the issues of entitlement to service connection for various conditions as the Veteran withdrew his appeal.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation consistent with his education and occupational experience, warranting the grant of TDIU.

The Veteran's radiculopathy of the right and left upper extremities is rated at 30 percent, effective from August 1, 2022.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have precluded him from securing and following substantially gainful employment for which his education and occupational experience would otherwise qualify him, warranting a TDIU.

The Veteran's service-connected lumbosacral strain with DJD is found to have caused his current diagnoses of LLE and RLE radiculopathy.,The Veteran's service-connected DJD and DDD of the cervical spine at C5-6 and C6-7 are found to have caused his current diagnoses of LUE and RUE radiculopathy.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to his death, and the Board has no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of this appeal as it pertains to service connection for various conditions.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a right leg disability, to include sciatica, is being remanded due to the need for additional medical examination and opinion.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of bladder cancer, cervical spine disability, back disability, and left lower extremity radiculopathy associated with the back disability is granted effective June 30, 1989. The claims for erectile dysfunction are denied prior to August 27, 2020.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine with herniated nucleus pulposus is granted, and he is now in receipt of a 40% disability rating. The claims for higher ratings for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy are denied.