Radiculopathy & sciatica decisions — 2025

The Board granted service connection for left leg radiculopathy and increased the rating for chronic sinusitis to 30 percent prior to March 16, 2022. The claims for increased ratings for knee and low back disorders were remanded.

The Board granted an initial rating of 40 percent for the Veteran's service-connected left lower extremity radiculopathy, sciatic and femoral nerves.

The Veteran is granted special monthly compensation based on the need for aid and attendance from November 20, 2019.

The Veteran has been granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability and special monthly compensation due to the service-connected disabilities.

The appeals for increased ratings for back and bilateral knee disabilities, as well as right lower extremity radiculopathy, were dismissed due to the failure to validly opt-in to the Appeals Modernization Act (AMA) appeal system.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, a back disability, a left leg disability, a left foot disability, a left knee disability, and a right knee disability to the AOJ for further development.

The Board denied a rating in excess of 20 percent for the service-connected right and left lower extremity radiculopathy (sciatic nerve) and remanded the entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability.

The Board remands the claims for an initial disability rating in excess of 20 percent for IVDS with DDD of the lumbar spine and in excess of 10 percent for radiculopathy of the right and left lower extremities femoral and sciatic nerves, as well as the TDIU claim, to obtain additional evidence.

The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder to include chronic adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood, but denied service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), bilateral hearing loss, and remanded several other conditions for further review.

The Board granted service connection for left shoulder strain due to the service-connected right shoulder degenerative arthritis and a 10 percent disability rating for narcolepsy, while denying increased ratings for other conditions.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions and an initial rating in excess of the assigned ratings for PTSD with moderate alcohol use disorder, left shoulder strain with rotator cuff strain, and right shoulder strain with rotator cuff strain.

The Board granted a disability rating of 60 percent for left lower extremity (LLE) radiculopathy, sciatic nerve, and denied an increased disability rating in excess of 50 percent for depression.

The Board granted effective dates of July 16, 2020, for the grants of service connection and DEA benefits, but denied higher ratings for back disability and left lower extremity radiculopathy.

The Board granted service connection for right and left knee, cervical spine, lumbar spine, and sciatic radiculopathy disabilities but denied increased ratings for the psychiatric disorder and other conditions.

The Board denied increased ratings for right hand carpal tunnel syndrome, left hand carpal tunnel syndrome, and left leg sciatic nerve radiculopathy as the evidence did not support a higher level of disability.

The Board granted an effective date of January 22, 2021, for the assignment of a 40 percent evaluation for service-connected lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis and for the award of service connection sciatica of the left lower extremity.

The Board granted earlier effective dates for the award of service connection for bilateral lower extremity radiculopathies, restored a higher disability rating for degenerative disc disease and lumbar strain with degenerative arthritis of the spine, restored a previous disability rating for radiculopathy of femoral nerve, right lower extremity, and granted an increased 50 percent disability rating for migraines.

The Board granted earlier effective dates for the increased 20 percent ratings for radiculopathy of the left and right lower extremities (sciatic nerve) but denied earlier effective dates for service connection for radiculopathy involving both femoral nerves, as well as for chemical pneumonia and Dietl's crisis.

The Board denied service connection for left lower extremity radiculopathy as secondary to lumbosacral strain, restored a 40 percent rating for the Veteran's lumbosacral strain with DJD, DDD, and IVDS effective April 7, 2023, and granted a 30 percent rating for left shoulder subacromial/subdeltoid bursitis and acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis from February 28, 2023.

The Board granted an effective date of December 5, 2019, for the grant of a 40 percent disability rating for radiculopathy of the left lower extremity and a 10 percent disability rating for radiculopathy of the right lower extremity.