Radiculopathy & sciatica decisions — 2025

The Board granted a 20 percent rating for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy, but denied a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss.

The appeal for earlier effective dates for various service-connected conditions was denied or dismissed due to the lack of legal basis.

The Board granted service connection for bilateral cervical radiculopathy as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected cervical spine degenerative joint disease.

The Board granted service connection for a left ankle disability and reopened claims for a chronic upper respiratory infection, but denied other claims including service connection for pain of the thoracic spine, bilateral restless leg syndrome (RLS), chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), psychiatric disability, back disability, lower extremity radiculopathy, right ankle disability, rhinitis, sinus arrhythmia, and various other conditions.

The Board granted service connection for bilateral tinnitus and an initial 70 percent rating, but not higher, for persistent depressive disorder with anxious distress. Other claims were denied or remanded.

The Board remands the issues of entitlement to a higher disability rating for left and right lower extremity femoral nerve radiculopathy due to duty to assist errors.

The Board granted an earlier effective date of August 23, 2016, for the award of service connection and a separate 10 percent rating for right and left lower extremity radiculopathy affecting the sciatic nerves.

The Board denied the veteran's appeal for higher initial disability ratings for right and left upper extremity radiculopathy, finding that the symptoms approximated no more than moderate incomplete paralysis.

The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and status post left shoulder surgeries, but denied service connection for lumbosacral strain, sciatic pain in the right leg, sciatic pain in the left leg, right big toe pain, and a right upper extremity disability.

The Board remands the claims for higher initial ratings and earlier effective dates for bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy due to insufficient evidence regarding the severity of symptoms without considering medication effects.

The Board granted readjudication of the claim for service connection for a right hip disability, to include as secondary to a service-connected right knee disability, and denied an effective date prior to June 8, 2022, for the award of service connection for spinal stenosis, right lower extremity sciatic radiculopathy, and left lower extremity sciatic radiculopathy.

The Board denied increased ratings for the Veteran's degenerative disc disease of the L5-S1 lumbar spine and sciatica in both lower extremities, finding that the current ratings were appropriate.

The Board granted an earlier effective date of November 21, 2022, for the grant of service connection for a cervical strain and related nerve root disabilities.

The Board dismissed the veteran's claims for service connection for a back condition, right leg condition, left foot condition, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and right foot condition due to procedural defects.

The Board denied a rating in excess of 50 percent for vascular headaches and granted restoration of the cervical spine, left upper extremity radiculopathy, and lumbar spine disability ratings.

The Board remands the issues of service connection for a recurrent lumbar spine disability, recurrent right lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy, and entitlement to a rating in excess of 10 percent for right knee strain due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors.

The Board granted service connection for a low back condition and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy but denied service connection for tinnitus. The Board also granted ratings in the form of effective dates for certain conditions, while denying increased ratings.

The Board granted service connection for headaches and lumbar spine disability, while denying service connection for traumatic brain injury (TBI), sciatica radicular pain hypoesthesia, paresthesia of the left lower extremity (LLE) and right lower extremity (RLE), cervical spine disability, radicular pain hypoesthesia, paresthesia of the left upper extremity (LUE) and right upper extremity (RUE), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), third digit of left hand, pain, third digit of right hand, pain, degenerative joint disease with impingement syndrome, right shoulder status post arthroscopy, left shoulder strain, gastroesophageal reflux disorder (GERD), bilateral hearing loss, hemorrhoids, and onychomycosis.

The Board denied earlier effective dates for the grants of service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, cervical strain, lumbar strain, and associated bilateral radicular disabilities.

The Board granted a 10 percent disability rating for the service-connected scar, status-post appendectomy, but denied all other claims for increased ratings and service connection.