Radiculopathy & sciatica decisions — 2026

The Board has granted service connection for various conditions, including residuals of heat exhaustion, chronic headaches, skin disability, acquired psychiatric disabilities, bilateral foot disabilities, lumbar spine disabilities, and radicular pain. Service connection is denied for hypertension, IBS, and OSA.

The Veteran's tinnitus, gout in the right hand and bilateral lower extremities, and sleep apnea are granted service connection. The Veteran's hypertension, arthritis, neck condition, restless leg syndrome, sciatica, and back condition are denied service connection.

The Veteran's right and left lower extremity radiculopathy are now rated at 20 percent each, effective January 2, 2020. The Board also granted a TDIU based on the Veteran's service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood, vertigo, sinusitis, right ankle disorder, left ankle disorder, coronary artery disease, plantar fasciitis, hypertension, monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), lumbar strain, left hip osteoarthritis, and right hip osteoarthritis have been granted. However, the claims for service connection for vertigo as secondary to tinnitus are denied.

PTSD, insomnia, social adjustment disorder, somatic symptom disorder, agoraphobia, and severe anxiety are all remanded for further evaluation.,The Veteran's claims for PTSD, insomnia, social adjustment disorder, somatic symptom disorder, agoraphobia, and severe anxiety will be reconsidered after the VA examinations.

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral cervical radiculopathy, hiatal hernia, and allergic rhinitis. The Veteran's conditions are not found to be related to his military service.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals of proposed reductions in ratings for bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy as there is no case in controversy before the Board due to procedural errors.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his left upper extremity radiculopathy, finding that it more nearly approximates moderate incomplete paralysis of the minor extremity and thus warrants a 30 percent rating.

The Veteran's service-connected back disability, LLR, and RLR are not rated higher than the current 20 percent due to lack of evidence showing more severe symptoms or functional impairment.

The Board has granted an effective date of November 3, 2020 for the award of service connection for various conditions including coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus, and peripheral neuropathy. The decision is based on herbicide exposure during service in Thailand as per the PACT Act.

The Veteran's service-connected back pain and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy prevented him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation since December 22, 2014.,The Veteran is now eligible for Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) benefits since December 22, 2014.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the service connection for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy, so the appeal is dismissed.

The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeals because his requests to appeal were not timely filed, and he did not provide good cause for the delay.

The Veteran's left and right lower extremity radiculopathy of the superficial peroneal nerve were denied compensable initial ratings.,Service connection for lumbosacral strain (claimed as bulging disk) was remanded due to insufficient medical opinion regarding its etiology.

The Veteran's chronic low back pain, left and right lower extremity radiculopathy, and bilateral foot conditions are granted. The lung condition (including asthma and bronchitis) is remanded for further evaluation.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for service connection for bilateral upper extremity and right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy due to errors in notification and need for a VA medical opinion regarding aggravation by service-connected COPD.

The Board denied service connection for a cervical spine disability, finding that the Veteran's current diagnosis of arthritis was not shown as chronic in service and did not manifest to a compensable degree within the applicable presumptive period.,The Board also denied service connection for a lumbar spine disability, concluding that there is no evidence showing a nexus between the Veteran's current strain diagnosis and her active service.

The Veteran's cervical radiculopathy of the right and left upper extremities have been granted increased ratings to 70 percent.

The Board has granted service connection for right and left lower extremity radiculopathy, tinnitus, and irritable bowel syndrome related to lumbosacral strain with degenerative disc disease. The issues of entitlement to an initial compensable rating for sleep apnea are remanded.

The Veteran's service-connected ischemic stroke with right upper extremity weakness is associated with current left and right upper extremity radiculopathy, which are granted as direct service connection.