Radiculopathy & sciatica decisions — 2024

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his back disability and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy due to inadequate examination findings.

The Board has remanded the case for further development to obtain recent private treatment records regarding the Veteran's lumbar spine disability and left lower extremity radiculopathy.

The Board has granted service connection for LLE radiculopathy as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine disability, but denied service connection for a left shoulder disorder.

The Veteran's right and left femoral nerve radiculopathies are granted separate 20 percent ratings. The issues of higher initial disability ratings for the Veteran's sciatic nerve radiculopathies in both lower extremities are remanded.

The Veteran's claims for right and left upper extremity radiculopathy, as well as right and left hip arthralgia manifesting in limitation of extension and impairment of the thigh, were denied effective dates prior to June 2, 2016.,Claims for increased evaluations for right and left hip arthralgia were granted on September 8, 2015. The effective dates for these claims are set at September 8, 2015.

The Veteran's claims for service connection, disability ratings, and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for further development including VA medical opinions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for a traumatic brain injury, increased ratings for lumbar strain and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy. The Veteran was not scheduled for necessary VA examinations due to his failure to appear.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings were granted, with effective dates of March 13, 2017. The SMC claim was denied.

The Veteran's lower back disability and associated sciatic radiculopathy are being remanded for further evaluation due to the need for a new VA examination. The TDIU claim is also being remanded as it is inextricably intertwined with the increased rating claims.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates and increased ratings were denied. The lumbar spine disability rating was restored, but the headaches claim was not granted an earlier effective date.

The Board denied service connection for a back disability and radiculopathy of the lower extremities, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to active service.,The Board also denied service connection for bilateral foot disabilities, concluding that there was insufficient evidence to support a link between current foot issues and active service.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional records and further review of the claims, including those related to effective dates.

The Board has granted service connection for low back disability, right lower extremity radiculopathy, and left lower extremity radiculopathy. The appeal regarding the right elbow and left elbow disabilities is remanded.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the Veteran's claims, including a VA examination to assess the severity of his service-connected lumbar spine disability and lower extremity radiculopathy.

The Board has dismissed the appeals regarding higher ratings for degenerative lumbar spine disease, radiculopathy in the right lower extremity, and radiculopathy in the left lower extremity. The appeal for TDIU was also dismissed.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, and for various other disabilities. The decision also denies ratings in excess of those currently assigned.

The Veteran's disability ratings for lumbar spine DJD, bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy of the sciatic nerve, and bilateral hip osteoarthritis with limitation of extension were restored to their previous levels due to improper reduction.

The Board has remanded the claims for a retrospective opinion to determine when and how severe the Veteran's sciatic and femoral nerve radiculopathy is, as well as which nerves are affected.

The Board has restored the prior disability ratings for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy from July 19, 2018 to February 24, 2021. However, due to conflicting findings regarding which nerves are affected by the radiculopathy, the case is remanded to determine the current severity of the disability for these periods.

The VA reduced the appellant's disability rating for left lower extremity radiculopathy affecting the sciatic nerve from 40 percent to 20 percent effective May 1, 2019. The reduction was proper as there was improvement in the disability.