Radiculopathy & sciatica decisions — 2025

The Board remands the claims for service connection and TDIU due to unverified periods of active duty for training (ADT) and inactive duty for training (IDT), as well as a lack of complete service treatment records.

The Board denied an initial rating higher than 20 percent for left upper extremity radiculopathy prior to January 3, 2020, and granted a 30 percent rating since January 3, 2022. The Board also denied an initial rating higher than 10 percent for bilateral plantar fasciitis.

The Board granted an effective date of September 20, 2022 for the assignment of service connection and a disability rating of 20 percent for radiculopathy of the right upper extremity from September 20, 2022 to March 20, 2024.

The Board denied the veteran's attempts to appeal rating decisions that denied service connection for various conditions and reduced his evaluation, as the appeals were not timely filed.

The Board granted service connection for the veteran's claimed conditions, including iliotibial band syndrome of the left knee, a cervical spine disability, radiculopathy of the right and left upper extremities, alopecia totalis, a right hip disability, a left hip disability, a right elbow disability, a right shoulder disability, and a left shoulder disability.

The Board granted service connection for bilateral tinnitus, left foot disorder (flatfoot and plantar fasciitis), right foot disorder (flatfoot and plantar fasciitis), left ankle disorder, left knee disorder, right knee disorder, lumbar spine disorder, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and right lower extremity radiculopathy. The claim for an initial rating in excess of 20 percent for bilateral hearing loss was denied.

The Board granted service connection for a back disability and related conditions, including right lower extremity radiculopathy, left lower extremity radiculopathy, right leg atrophy, left hip degenerative joint disease with osteoarthritis, and left knee total arthroplasty.

The Board granted service connection for thoracolumbar spine condition, including chronic mechanical spine syndrome and lumbar degenerative arthritis, with bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy but denied service connection for dextroscoliosis.

The Board granted a 50 percent disability rating for migraines and denied increased ratings for dermatitis, allergic rhinitis, and irritable bowel syndrome. The remaining claims for service connection were remanded.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral plantar fasciitis, left foot bone spur, left and right upper extremity radiculopathy, and right ankle lateral collateral ligament sprain as the evidence did not support a finding of an in-service incurrence or a causal relationship between the claimed conditions and the Veteran's military service.

The Board granted service connection for tinnitus but denied service connection for the remaining conditions.

The Board granted service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the right and left upper and lower extremities, as well as right and left lower extremity sciatica.

The Board granted the restoration of a 20% rating for lumbosacral strain and denied a rating greater than 20%, as well as service connection for left lower extremity radiculopathy.

The Board denied increased ratings for the Veteran's left and right lower extremity radiculopathy affecting the sciatic nerve, finding that evaluations in excess of 10 percent were not warranted.

The appeal for service connection for right lower extremity radiculopathy was dismissed, and the claim for a disability rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD was denied. The claims for increased ratings for left ankle conditions were remanded.

The Board denied service connection for neck pain, bilateral hearing loss, right lower extremity sciatica, an acquired psychiatric disorder (anxiety and depression), obstructive sleep apnea, sinusitis, and left plantar fasciitis.

The Board granted service connection for asthma under the PACT Act but denied service connection for GERD, right lower extremity sciatica, left lower extremity sciatica, and bilateral hearing loss.

The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, but denied service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), left restless leg syndrome, right restless leg syndrome, lumbosacral strain, left lower extremity sciatic radiculopathy, right lower extremity sciatic radiculopathy, right ankle disability, right ankle scar, and hypertension. The Board also remanded several claims for further development.

The Board granted service connection for a back disability, right lower extremity radiculopathy, and right foot drop. The claim for urinary dysfunction was remanded.

The Veteran was granted special monthly compensation (SMC) based on the need for regular aid and attendance, SMC at the M level based on loss of use of the lower extremities, and SMC at the O level based on the award of SMC L and SMC M. The claim for SMC based on housebound status was dismissed as moot.