Radiculopathy & sciatica decisions — 2025

The Board granted increased ratings of 40 percent for lumbosacral strain and 20 percent for left lower extremity radiculopathy, sciatic nerve. The claim for service connection for right knee strain was remanded.

The Board granted the restoration of a 20 percent disability rating for femoral and sciatic nerve radiculopathy of the right lower extremity, effective October 10, 2023. The issues related to increased ratings and service connection for sleep apnea were remanded.

The Board denied an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for the Veteran's lower left nerve conditions, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating.

The Board granted service connection for left and right sciatica radicular pain, a disability rating of 40 percent for lumbosacral strain, and remanded the claim for a higher rating for right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome.

The appeal of the proposed reduction of the 20 percent disability rating assigned to the Veteran's SI joint dysfunction, to include sciatica, to a 10 percent disability rating is dismissed.

The appeal was dismissed due to the lack of a timely appeal for increased ratings and earlier effective dates, making the December 2023 rating decision final.

The Board granted initial ratings for lumbosacral degenerative disc disease and radiculopathies but denied an increased rating for PTSD. The claims for service connection for fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome were remanded.

The Board dismissed the issues of entitlement to service connection for tinnitus, radiculopathy of the right and left legs, and right and left knee strains due to a procedural error in docketing the appeal.

The Board remands the matter for further development, including obtaining an addendum to a VA examiner's medical assessment and attempting to obtain outstanding treatment records.

The Board remands the issue of entitlement to a separate compensable rating for left lower extremity radiculopathy involving a nerve branch other than the sciatic nerve due to an inadequate VA medical opinion.

The appeal was dismissed due to untimely filing of the Notice of Disagreement (NOD) more than a year after the relevant rating decisions were issued.

The Board granted a 50 percent rating for an acquired psychiatric disorder and denied a compensable rating for pseudofolliculitis barbae, while remanding several other claims.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and earlier effective dates, as well as remanded certain issues related to TDIU and DEA benefits.

The Board granted service connection for a neck disability, an initial rating of 30 percent for headaches, and a rating of 40 percent for a back disability. The claims for left and right upper extremity radiculopathy were remanded.

The Board remands the claim for entitlement to service connection for left lower extremity sciatica, which is intertwined with the remanded matter of entitlement to service connection for a back disability.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, except for a 20 percent rating for cervical IVDS with degenerative arthritis and segmental instability from December 22, 2021 to January 12, 2023.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, finding no evidence of a current disability or sufficient in-service incurrence or aggravation.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for left and right foot hammer toes and left and right lower extremity radiculopathy, finding that a compensable rating was not warranted.

The Board granted service connection for sleep apnea and increased the disability ratings for lumbar and cervical spine IVDS with arthritis to 50% and 40%, respectively, from June 12, 2017.

The Board denied increased ratings for several service-connected conditions and granted some separate evaluations, while remanding others.