Radiculopathy & sciatica decisions — 2025

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for left side sciatica was granted, and several issues were remanded due to a duty to assist error.

The Board denied an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for radiculopathy of the left lower extremity and a compensable rating for asbestosis.

The Board denied the veteran's request for an earlier effective date for service connection for left and right upper extremity radiculopathy, as no formal claim was filed within one year of the denial in 2018 or 2021.

The Board granted service connection for dry eyes and remanded the claims for an acquired psychiatric disability, lumbar spine disability, left leg radiculopathy, and right leg radiculopathy.

The Board denied higher ratings for the Veteran's cervical spine strain with arthritis, left and right upper extremity radiculopathy, and tinnitus, and dismissed a freestanding earlier effective date claim for tinnitus. The Board remanded service connection for urinary frequency/incontinence.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection and TDIU, finding insufficient evidence to support a reasonable possibility of unemployability due to his only service-connected disability, tinnitus.

The Board denied a disability rating in excess of 40 percent for lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis of the spine and IVDS, but granted an earlier effective date of February 1, 2023 for left lower extremity radiculopathy, sciatic nerve.

The Board remands the claims for a new VA examination to address the Veteran's low back disability and left lower extremity radiculopathy, as the previous examination was found inadequate.

The Board denied earlier effective dates for the 30 percent and 10 percent disability evaluations for left knee patellofemoral syndrome with degenerative joint disease, and right lower extremity radiculopathy of the femoral nerve, as well as an earlier effective date for Dependents' Educational Assistance.

The Board granted service connection for lumbar scoliosis, but remanded the claims for degenerative arthritis of the spine, IVDS, and degenerative disc disease, left hip disability, right hip disability, and left leg radiculopathy.

The Board granted a 20% rating for the Veteran's back condition, restored from a previous reduction, and granted service connection for migraine headaches.

The Board denied increased ratings for the Veteran's back disability, sciatic nerve radiculopathy, femoral nerve radiculopathy, and left knee instability while granting a 10% rating for sciatic nerve radiculopathy from January 24, 2019, to August 30, 2019, and a 20% rating for left knee disability with instability beginning on that date. The Board also granted an initial 100% rating for major depressive disorder (MDD) effective February 5, 2021.

The Board granted readjudication of the service connection claims for various conditions based on new and relevant evidence, but remanded several claims for further development.

The Board granted a 40 percent evaluation for the service-connected sciatic radiculopathy of both lower extremities, as the evidence established moderately severe incomplete paralysis.

The Board granted service connection for a left shoulder disability, to include osteoarthritis, and an effective date of April 20, 2017, but not earlier, for the award of service connection for radiculopathy of the left lower extremity. Other claims were denied or remanded.

The Board granted service connection for a deviated nasal septum and obstructive sleep apnea, but remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, left knee condition, right knee condition, low back pain, and left lower extremity sciatic radiculopathy.

The Board denied service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome, respiratory insufficiency, right sciatic radicular pain of the right leg, left sciatic radicular pain of the left leg, and chronic sinusitis. The Board also denied a disability rating in excess of 10 percent for allergic rhinitis from August 5, 2021.

The appeal was dismissed due to the Veteran's death during its pendency.

The Veteran's cervical spine disability was granted a 30 percent rating effective May 10, 2010, and a 60 percent rating from June 4, 2014, to November 3, 2019. The LUE radiculopathy associated with the cervical spine disability was granted a 40 percent rating.

The Veteran was granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) on an extraschedular basis from December 3, 2014 to October 4, 2021.