Radiculopathy & sciatica decisions — 2025

The appeal regarding entitlement to service connection for various conditions was dismissed due to an improper concurrent election of review options.

The Board granted service connection for right knee strain, left knee strain, lumbar radiculopathy of the right lower extremity, and lumbar radiculopathy of the left lower extremity. It also granted initial ratings for various disabilities including a 20 percent rating for lumbar degenerative disc disease with intervertebral disc syndrome, spondylosis, and spondylolisthesis, a 30 percent rating for labral tear, including superior labral anterior-posterior lesion, status post surgical repair, and higher ratings for other conditions.

The Board granted service connection for fibromyalgia and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, finding that these conditions are proximately due to the Veteran's service-connected psychiatric disability and lumbar spine disability, respectively.

The Board denied increased ratings for the Veteran's back and right shoulder disabilities, but restored a 40 percent rating for left lower extremity (LLE) radiculopathy affecting the sciatic nerve effective February 5, 2024, and granted a TDIU.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, prostatitis, kidney stones, and multiple other disabilities. The earlier effective date claim was also denied.

The Board denied service connection for multiple disorders, including shoulder, spine, knee, and extremity conditions, as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred in or related to the Veteran's military service.

The Board granted service connection for degenerative arthritis, right lower radiculopathy, and tinnitus, and assigned a 70 percent disability rating for posttraumatic stress disorder.

The Board granted a 70 percent rating for depressive disorder and a 40 percent rating for degenerative disc disease with degenerative arthritis of the spine, while denying increased ratings for radiculopathy in both lower extremities and hearing loss.

The Board granted earlier effective dates for the service connection of cervical radiculopathy of both upper extremities, but denied earlier effective dates for degenerative arthritis and intervertebral disc syndrome of the cervical spine, headaches, and TBI.

The Board granted a 60 percent rating for right lower extremity radiculopathy and a 20 percent rating for left lower extremity radiculopathy, while denying an increased rating for the right ankle disability.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a temporary total evaluation because there was no evidence that any of his service-connected disabilities required hospitalization for 21 days or more.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and effective dates, but granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) prior to April 24, 2023, and an effective date of May 12, 2022, for DEA under 38 U.S.C. Chapter 35.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for an earlier effective date for service connection for tremors of the left and right lower and upper extremities, finding that August 10, 2022 was the appropriate effective date.

The veteran withdrew his appeal for increased ratings of various service-connected conditions, resulting in the dismissal of all appeals.

The Board denied a compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss and a higher disability rating for left lower extremity peripheral radiculopathy, as the evidence did not support a finding of severity greater than noncompensable or 40 percent respectively.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for a low back disability and left lower extremity radiculopathy to ensure that all relevant personnel records are obtained.

The Veteran's left lower extremity lumbar radiculopathy was granted an evaluation of 20 percent from January 11, 2012 to January 22, 2025, but an increased rating in excess of 20 percent for the same condition and an increased rating in excess of 40 percent for a back disability were denied.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for various conditions, including bilateral pes planus and ischemic heart disease, due to inadequate VA examinations.

The Board granted service connection for right and left lower extremity radiculopathy as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine disabilities.

The Board granted service connection for right and left lower extremity radiculopathy involving the sciatic nerve, but remanded the claim for bilateral hearing loss due to pre-decisional duty-to-assist errors.