Radiculopathy & sciatica decisions — 2024

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, myelopathy of cervical spinal cord with cervical radiculopathy, and adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood as secondary to peripheral arterial disease, left lower extremity.

The Board denied an increased evaluation for lower left extremity radiculopathy but granted a 10 percent rating for the lower left extremity external cutaneous nerve of the thigh and a noncompensable rating for the lower left extremity ilio-inguinal nerve. The Board also remanded claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and otosclerosis.

The Board has remanded the claims for increased ratings for a low back disability and associated radiculopathy of the LLE due to incomplete retrospective opinions from a VA examiner.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his lumbar spine disability, sciatic neuropathy, and shoulder and knee disabilities have been denied by the Board.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left lower extremity radiculopathy due to inadequate VA examination opinions. The Veteran contends his radiculopathy is related to his service-connected cervical and lumbosacral strains.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for a back disability, right lower extremity radiculopathy, and left lower extremity radiculopathy due to duty to assist error.

The appeal for a rating in excess of 10 percent for right lower extremity radiculopathy of the sciatic nerve is dismissed due to untimely filing of the VA Form 10182.

The Board granted an increased rating to 20 percent for the Veteran's right lower extremity lumbar radiculopathy.

The Board granted service connection for radiculopathy of the left and right lower extremities, sciatic nerve, as secondary to a service-connected back disability.

The Board denied service connection for left shoulder, left wrist, and bilateral upper extremity radiculopathy disabilities.

The Board granted service connection for a left foot disorder, right knee disorder, left knee disorder, lumbar spine disorder, radiculopathy of the right lower extremity, and radiculopathy of the left lower extremity, resolving all reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for left sciatic nerve radiculopathy was granted, allowing a 40 percent evaluation.

The Veteran's service-connected diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the right and left sciatic nerves, as well as his prostate cancer, are rated at specific levels prior to June 10, 2021.,Special monthly compensation (SMC) at the housebound rate is granted from August 30, 2018 to November 1, 2021.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a lumbar spine disability, to include bilateral lower extremity sciatica, finding that there was no evidence of a chronic in-service injury or disease and that the current disability is not related to service.

The Board granted restoration of the 20% rating for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy, effective September 1, 2022, as the previous reductions were improper.

The Board granted a total disability rating due to individual unemployability (TDIU) for the Veteran's service-connected conditions, which include fibromyalgia and other musculoskeletal issues.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral hearing loss, degenerative arthritis and intervertebral disc syndrome of the lumbar spine, left ankle deltoid ligament sprain, benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, bilateral otitis externa, eczema, right and left lower extremity radiculopathy, right ankle lateral collateral ligament sprain with osteoarthritis, tinnitus, left varicocele, and cystitis, render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates of June 19, 2019 for the grants of service connection for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy are granted.,The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his left and right lower extremity radiculopathy are denied.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to a lack of medical evidence linking the Veteran's claimed conditions to his military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for radiculopathy of the left femoral nerve and a left knee disability, finding that the evidence did not support higher ratings.