Radiculopathy & sciatica decisions — 2026

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected degenerative arthritis of the spine.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for hemorrhoids was denied as his symptoms did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under the amended regulations.,The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss was denied due to the noncompensable disability ratings assigned based on audiometric test results.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to an error in notifying the Veteran of his right to a hearing. The claim for service connection for bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy will be reconsidered.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for left and right upper extremity radiculopathy, as well as an earlier effective date for SMC based on loss of use or blindness of both eyes, having only light perception, have been dismissed due to the Veteran's request to withdraw his claims.

The Veteran's service-connected Parkinson's Disease and related conditions do not render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment, as he has been employed in protected positions with the fire department. The Board denied entitlement to TDIU due to his substantial income from multiple jobs.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his lumbar spine disability, right lower extremity femoral nerve radiculopathy, and right lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy are being remanded due to procedural errors in the initial decision. The AOJ must provide a new examination to assess the severity of the Veteran's disabilities and clarify the interpretation of terms used in the relevant diagnostic codes.

The Veteran's lumbosacral strain and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy have been granted increased ratings of 40 percent each, effective from the date of the May 2020 rating decision. The claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (PTSD, generalized anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder) and endometriosis/frozen feet have been withdrawn.

The Veteran's claims for various conditions have been remanded multiple times, and as a result, the appeals are dismissed.

The Veteran's appeals for increased disability ratings and restoration of disability ratings have been withdrawn, resulting in the dismissal of all related claims.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) due to weight gain caused by her service-connected cervical degenerative disc disease, lumbar facet arthrosis, left knee disability, and left lower extremity radiculopathy. The decision resolves all reasonable doubts in favor of the Veteran.

The Veteran's left hip strain (limited flexion) was restored to a 30 percent evaluation effective June 19, 2024.,An evaluation in excess of 30 percent for the same condition is denied.

The Veteran's neck disability, diagnosed as cervical degenerative disc disease and cervical loss of disc height, is granted. The right upper extremity radiculopathy, left upper extremity radiculopathy, back disability (lumbar degenerative disc disease, multi-level spondylolisthesis, lumbar loss of disc height, and lumbar degenerative scoliosis), right knee osteoarthritis status post ACL tear repair, left knee osteoarthritis, and right knee scar are all granted.,The Veteran's neck disability is linked to his service in the United States Navy, including high impact repetitive activities like running, jumping, squatting, and leaning forward with head down for use of scope. The back disability is related to his years of duty serving in the Navy, as well.

The Board has granted earlier effective dates of December 3, 2018 for service connection of degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, and tension headaches. The Veteran's claims for higher ratings or additional disabilities are remanded due to incomplete evidence.

The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings for his lumbar spine disability was dismissed. The Board granted initial 20 percent ratings, but no higher, for right and left lower extremity lumbar radiculopathy of the sciatic nerve.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for an effective date prior to February 4, 2020, for the award of increased ratings for his service-connected disabilities. The appeal is also remanded to obtain private treatment records from Dr. J.D.

The Veteran's TDIU claim was denied as his service-connected disabilities did not preclude him from securing and following substantially gainful employment.

The Board has dismissed the claims for service connection for left foot plantar fasciitis, right foot plantar fasciitis, sleep apnea, sciatic radicular pain of the right lower extremity, and degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine as they have been withdrawn by the Veteran.

The Board is remanding the claims for service connection and effective dates earlier than March 20, 2020 due to duty to assist errors and a request for a good cause extension of time limits.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to engage and retain substantially gainful employment as of May 1, 2019. The Board granted TDIU effective from that date.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection for bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy were denied. The Board found that no claim was received prior to July 15, 2021 and thus the proper effective date is July 15, 2021.,The Veteran also sought an earlier effective date for his left lower extremity radiculopathy, which was similarly denied.