Radiculopathy & sciatica decisions — 2025

The Board denied a disability rating in excess of 40 percent for the back disability and remanded the claim for a right lower extremity (RLE) sciatica disability rating.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for a lumbar spine disability, right lower extremity radiculopathy and left lower extremity radiculopathy was dismissed due to the untimely filing of the Board Appeal request.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for the grants of service connection for various bilateral hip limitations and lower extremity radiculopathy, as an effective date prior to January 12, 2024, was not warranted.

The Board granted service connection and increased ratings for the veteran's cervical strain with degenerative arthritis, lumbosacral strain, migraine headaches, and left and right lower extremity radiculopathies.

The Board granted initial ratings of 40 percent for degenerative disc disease and 20 percent for right and left lower extremity radiculopathies, but denied higher ratings. Other claims were either granted with non-compensable ratings or denied.

The appeal for service connection for PTSD was dismissed as the Veteran's claim had been granted in full, making it moot.

The Board granted service connection for right and left lower extremity radiculopathy but denied service connection for a right shoulder disability. The claims for readjudication of the right and left knee disabilities were remanded.

The Board granted service connection for sciatic nerve radiculopathy of the right and left lower extremities as secondary to a service-connected degenerative disc disease, but remanded claims for headaches, right upper extremity radicular pain, and left upper extremity radicular pain.

The Board dismissed the appeals for service connection for IVDS with degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, right elbow dislocation, right shoulder dislocation, and bilateral upper and lower extremity radiculopathy as untimely. The appeal for service connection for bilateral pes planus was denied due to clear and unmistakable evidence that it preexisted service and was not aggravated by service.

The appeal for service connection for left lower extremity radiculopathy was dismissed due to improper docketing and concurrent review.

The Board granted service connection for irritable bowel syndrome, left sciatic radicular pain, and headaches. It also granted an initial rating of 70 percent for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and a rating of 30 percent for lipoma of the skin on the back of the head. The claims for increased ratings for right knee strain with shin splints and left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome were denied, as was the claim for an initial compensable rating for allergic rhinitis.

The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, while remanding the claims for a lumbar spine condition, bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, and bilateral hip disorders.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and denied an initial rating in excess of 70 percent for the Veteran's service-connected psychiatric conditions. The Board granted service connection for generalized anxiety disorder, persistent depressive disorder, and alcohol use disorder with a 70% evaluation effective February 27, 2023, and increased the ratings for right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome with degenerative arthritis to 30 percent and residuals of foot injury to 10 percent.

The Board denied service connection for right ankle Achilles tendonitis, thoracolumbar spine degenerative arthritis with DDD, IVDS and spinal stenosis, and right lower extremity lumbar radiculopathy. The claim for right foot pes planus with plantar fasciitis was dismissed.

The Board remands the claims for a rating in excess of 20 percent for mid thoracic mechanical strain, dorsal kyphosis, and lumbar scoliosis; service connection for left leg radiculopathy; service connection for right leg radiculopathy; and ratings in excess of 10 percent for left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome and right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome to afford the Veteran adequate examinations.

The Board granted service connection for degenerative arthritis of the spine and sciatic radiculopathy of the left lower extremity as secondary to a service-connected right knee disability, but denied service connection for a cervical spine disability and sleep apnea.

The Board granted service connection for left lower extremity radiculopathy as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine and remanded the claim for a right lower extremity condition for further development.

The Board remands the claims for increased ratings of the Veteran's service-connected disabilities to obtain additional private treatment records.

The Board denied service connection for radiculopathy of the left lower extremity, post traumatic pain cervical cervicothoracic regions, and residuals of traumatic brain injury. The initial ratings for various service-connected conditions were also denied.

The Board granted service connection for various conditions, including right and left ankle sprain, right and left knee strain with limitation of flexion and extension, lumbar spine degenerative disc disease, radiculopathy of the right and left lower extremities, and a lumbar spine scar, with effective dates from February 21, 2019. The Board also granted increased ratings for right and left ankle sprain starting July 13, 2022.