Radiculopathy & sciatica decisions — 2026

The Veteran's disabilities, including his service-connected conditions and associated radiculopathy, prevented him from maintaining substantially gainful employment as of July 1, 2022. The effective date for the TDIU award is now set to July 1, 2022.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for his lumbar spine disability, right lower extremity radiculopathy, left hip arthritis, and right hip arthritis are remanded due to the need for additional VA examinations.

The Board has granted a rating of 40 percent for the Veteran's right and left lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathies, finding that his symptoms most closely approximate moderately severe incomplete paralysis.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and effective dates are being remanded due to the need for additional VA treatment records, including those from the Miami VAMC and scanned into VistA.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him in need of aid and attendance, as he requires assistance with activities such as bathing, dressing, personal hygiene, medication management, and housekeeping/laundry due to his TBI, PTSD, OSA, headaches, lumbar spine disability, arthritis, and severe chronic back pain. The Board has granted special monthly compensation based on the need for aid and attendance.

The Board has granted an earlier effective date of September 13, 2017 for service connection for radiculopathy in both lower extremities.

The Veteran's right and left lower extremity radiculopathies, degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, chondromalacia patella (right and left knees), and sleep apnea residuals status post nasal fracture are all rated at their maximum allowable levels. The Veteran's chest scar is not compensably rated as it does not meet the required surface area criteria. The Veteran's neck scar also does not warrant a compensable rating.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for cervical strain, left upper extremity radiculopathy, right knee strain, and left knee strain. The Board found that there is an approximate balance of positive and negative evidence in favor of the Veteran's claims.

The Board has determined that the decision on appeal was not legally adequate and requires remand for further action, including obtaining a medical opinion from the Centralized Eligibility and Appeals Team (CEAT) regarding personal care services needs and supervision requirements. The AOJ must also provide compliant notice under 38 U.S.C. § 5104.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings of his service-connected lower extremity radiculopathy conditions have been granted, with each condition receiving a 20 percent disability rating.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for generalized anxiety disorder, hypertension, back disability, and left lower extremity sciatic radicular pain due to a lack of medical opinions regarding service connection. The VA examiner is required to provide an opinion on whether these conditions are related to active service.

The Veteran's appeal for an earlier effective date for left lower extremity femoral nerve radiculopathy is denied. The Veteran's appeal for a higher initial rating for left knee patellar tendonitis is remanded.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for specially adapted housing or a special home adaptation grant due to his ability to independently ambulate without aids.

The Board has found that remand is needed for additional development, including obtaining outstanding treatment records and scheduling a new examination to evaluate the Veteran's cervical spine disability and radiculopathy.

The Board has remanded the claims for lumbar spine strain, right knee medial tear, left knee strain, left knee instability, and right knee instability due to additional development being needed. The Veteran's RLE radiculopathy claim is also remanded for an updated VA examination.

The Veteran's service-connected peripheral neuropathy and radiculopathy of the right lower extremity are now rated at 80 percent effective November 8, 2017. The left lower extremity is rated at 40 percent since June 11, 2010.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates and increased ratings have been granted. Effective dates of April 27, 2015, were set for the low back condition and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy conditions. A rating of 40 percent was granted for RLE sciatic nerve radiculopathy as of July 2, 2021.

An appeal concerning entitlement to service connection for left upper extremity radiculopathy is dismissed.,An appeal concerning the issue of entitlement to service connection for cervical spine DDD, other than IVDS, including spinal stenosis, is dismissed.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and an addendum medical opinion regarding the Veteran's service-connected neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities, sciatic nerve and femoral nerve, and his non-service-connected radiculopathy of the bilateral lower extremities.

The Veteran is seeking an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for erectile dysfunction and TDIU. The Board denied these claims as no earlier effective dates are warranted.,The earliest claim for both conditions was received on October 31, 2022, for erectile dysfunction, and October 19, 2022, for TDIU.