Radiculopathy & sciatica decisions — 2025

The veteran's claim for a higher rating of right lower extremity radiculopathy was granted at 20%. The claims for sinusitis and hypertension were remanded.

The claim for individual unemployability due to PTSD and other service-connected disabilities is remanded. The Board needs more information about the veteran's functional impairments.

The veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension and various types of neuropathy was denied. However, the veteran was granted service connection for right lower extremity radiculopathy as secondary to a service-connected lumbosacral strain.

The veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of sciatic and femoral nerve radiculopathy was denied. However, the effective date for erectile dysfunction was granted as November 28, 2017.

The Board denied service connection for plantar fasciitis and higher ratings for the veteran's right lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy and right hip strain.

The Board remanded the veteran's claims for service connection of left and right lower extremity radiculopathy, to include as secondary to service-connected degenerative changes of the lumbar and thoracic spine.

The veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied. However, the veteran was granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.

The veteran's claim for a higher rating for thoracolumbar spine disability was denied, but an initial 20% rating for right lower extremity sciatic radiculopathy was granted. The claims for service connection for neck and upper back disability and TDIU were remanded.

The Board denied the veteran's request for an effective date prior to November 9, 2022, for service connection of degenerative arthritis with degenerative disc disease and radiculopathy in both lower extremities. The veteran did not seek review within one year of the initial rating decision.

The veteran's claim for a higher rating for left lower extremity radiculopathy was denied. The veteran was granted a 20% rating for right lower extremity radiculopathy effective January 5, 2022.

The Board remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection of a cervical spine disability, including cervical radiculopathy. The VA must correct errors and obtain further medical records.

The Veteran's left lower extremity radiculopathy is rated at 40 percent, and the remaining issues of service connection are remanded for further development.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for evaluations of sciatic radiculopathy, right and left lower extremities due to a lack of consideration of the Veteran's wife's testimony regarding his medication side effects.

The Board dismissed the appeals for ratings in excess of 40 percent for left lower extremity radiculopathy, right lower extremity radiculopathy, and degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not render him unable to obtain or maintain a gainful occupation for the period prior to October 11, 2022. For the period of October 11, 2022, to the present, his PTSD has been rated at 100 percent and other conditions have independently warranted ratings that bring his combined rating to 70 percent.

The Board has remanded the claims for a retrospective medical opinion regarding the severity of the Veteran's left lower extremity radiculopathy from August 2010 through November 2020. The claims are not resolved and will be reconsidered.

The veteran was granted a 10% rating for left lower extremity radiculopathy from March 8, 2018, and a 20% rating from February 5, 2020. The claim for TDIU prior to November 2, 2021, was denied. The claim for a higher rating for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine was remanded.

The Board has remanded the claims for further development due to inconsistencies in previous opinions and need for an assessment without considering the ameliorative effects of pain medication.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities were found to prevent him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment, so he was granted an extraschedular total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) effective January 26, 2010.

The veteran's effective date for several ratings has been granted as June 29, 2020. The Board agreed that the severity of the Veteran's conditions warranted an earlier effective date.