Radiculopathy & sciatica decisions — 2025

The Board denied service connection for sinusitis, bronchitis, liver abscess, abdominal aorta, left and right hamstring disabilities. The Board granted an increased disability rating of 40 percent for right upper extremity radiculopathy but denied all other claims.

The Board granted the appeals for severance of service connection for neck, left shoulder, and left upper extremity radiculopathy disabilities, as well as entitlement to service connection for headaches.

The appeals for service connection for right and left lower extremity radiculopathy, an earlier effective date for bilateral hearing loss, and a higher initial evaluation for PTSD have been dismissed.

The Board denied increased ratings for fibromyalgia, radiculopathy, hearing loss, and sinusitis but granted service connection for bradycardia and an undiagnosed illness.

The Board granted service connection for GERD as secondary to the Veteran's PTSD and tinnitus, but denied service connection for a lumbar spine disability, right ear hearing loss, chronic sinus condition, bilateral hand condition, jaw condition, aortic regurgitation, discoid lupus, residuals of peptic ulcer, left shoulder condition, right shoulder condition, cervical spine disability, left upper extremity (LUE) radiculopathy secondary to cervical spine disability, and right upper extremity (RUE) radiculopathy secondary to cervical spine disability.

The Board denied readjudication of increased rating claims for diabetes mellitus, bilateral knee, bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, and cervical spine, as well as an earlier effective date for DEA and entitlement to TDIU due to the lack of new and relevant evidence.

The Board dismissed the veteran's appeals for earlier effective dates and increased ratings for right and left lower extremity radiculopathy due to procedural issues.

The Board restored the 50% rating for cervicogenic headaches and the 40% rating for right upper extremity cervical radiculopathy, effective February 1, 2025, as the reductions were not proper. The reduction of the left upper extremity cervical radiculopathy to 0% was upheld.

The Veteran is granted special monthly compensation (SMC) at the rate provided by 38 U.S.C. § 1114(l) for aid and attendance due to service-connected posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and lumbar back strain and intervertebral disc disease with sciatic nerve involvement, as well as SMC based on the need for regular aid and attendance at the rate provided by 38 U.S.C. § 1114(r)(1), but not at the higher level of care under 38 U.S.C. § 1114(r)(2).

The veteran withdrew all appeals for increased ratings of various conditions, resulting in the dismissal of all claims.

The Board granted an earlier effective date of May 26, 2023, for the award of service connection for right lower extremity radiculopathy and granted service connection for cervicodorsal myositis. Sinusitis was denied.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for a lumbosacral strain, left hip disability, right hip disability, right lower extremity radiculopathy, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include anxious distress, with intermittent major depressive episodes, as additional evidence needs to be considered.

The Board remands the claims for an increased rating, service connection for radiculopathy of both lower extremities, and TDIU due to incomplete evidence.

The Board granted a 40 percent rating for right and left lower extremity radiculopathy, sciatic nerve, restored the 40 percent rating for lumbar spine disability, and granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability.

The Board remanded the issues of entitlement to earlier effective dates for RLE and LLE radiculopathy service connection awards, finding that the AOJ failed to reconsider these claims under 38 C.F.R. § 3.156(c) after receipt of relevant official service department records. The Board remanded for a VA medical opinion to determine whether the radiculopathy onset occurred prior to September 15, 1999.

The Board remands the issues of entitlement to an earlier effective date for the award of service connection for right and left lower extremity radiculopathy due to a need for additional evidence.

The Board granted restoration of a rating of 10 percent for both the left and right lower extremity radiculopathy, femoral nerve, from the effective date of the reduction.

The Board granted service connection for a right shoulder disability and remanded the claims for lumbar spine, thoracic spine, right hip, left knee, right knee, left ankle, right ankle, and bilateral foot disabilities.

The Board denied the veteran's appeal requests for all rating decisions due to untimeliness and lack of good cause.

The Board granted service connection for a left hip condition, lower back condition, bilateral plantar fasciitis, and right hip condition based on new and relevant evidence. The Board also granted service connection for left hip pain with left lower extremity radiculopathy and right hip pain with right lower extremity radiculopathy as secondary to the service-connected lower back condition.