Radiculopathy & sciatica decisions — 2026

The Board has remanded the cases due to incomplete verification of all periods of active duty for training (ADT) and inactive duty for training (IDT). The AOJ must conduct further research to verify any ADT periods other than those in 1987.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's left lower extremity radiculopathy has been rated at 10 percent since December 28, 2016. The Board denied an increased rating for this condition from that date to September 9, 2022.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered her unable to obtain and maintain substantially gainful employment from January 1, 2010 to December 4, 2018.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for right and left lower extremity sciatic nerve peripheral neuropathy due to a lack of adequate medical examination, specifically regarding the effects of prescribed medication.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including loss of bowel control and multilevel spondylosis, have resulted in a need for regular aid and attendance. The claim is granted subject to the laws governing payment of monetary benefits.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for back disability, sciatic left lower extremity radiculopathy, and femoral left lower extremity radiculopathy are being remanded due to a duty to assist error. The Board will obtain missing treatment records from private providers.

The Veteran's appeals for increased disability ratings and the proposed reduction in his cervical spine disability rating have been withdrawn, resulting in their dismissal.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for lumbar strain to include thoracolumbar and lumbosacral strain, cervical spine condition, spondylosis, degenerative disk disease, and radiculopathy (spine disabilities). The Board found that these conditions are related to the Veteran's injury during his active duty.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and earlier effective dates have been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating for his acquired psychiatric disability, radiculopathy of the right upper extremity (RUE), radiculopathy of the left upper extremity (LUE), or neck disability prior to June 2, 2022. The earlier effective date claim was also denied.

The Veteran's new and relevant evidence, including his statements about in-service duties causing back pain, has been considered. The claim of service connection for a low back disability with left lower extremity sciatic nerve pain is granted.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for lumbar spinal stenosis, spondylolisthesis, and radiculopathy of the left lower extremity as there is no persuasive evidence that these conditions began during or were caused by his military service.

The Board has granted an increased rating of 40 percent for left upper extremity radiculopathy effective April 24, 2019.

The Veteran's bilateral femoral and sciatic nerve radiculopathy were granted a disability rating of 30 percent each from May 15, 2018, forward. The TDIU was granted prior to August 1, 2024.

The Veteran was granted a TDIU for the period from January 1, 2020 to September 30, 2023 due to service-connected disabilities preventing him from maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is being remanded due to errors in the pre-decisional file, including a lack of earnings statements from SSA and missing vocational rehabilitation records. The AOJ will need to correct these issues before making a final determination.

The Veteran meets the schedular requirement for TDIU due to his service-connected disabilities, and his service-connected conditions rendered him unable to follow a substantially gainful occupation. The effective date is from February 10, 2019, to May 6, 2020.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to outstanding medical records for his service-connected conditions and new claims.

The Veteran's ratings for DDD/DJD of the thoracolumbar spine and left lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy were reduced from their initial assigned levels, but these reductions are now void ab initio due to procedural errors. The appeals for restoration of the original ratings are granted.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of May 12, 2021 for the assignment of a 70 percent disability rating for recurrent major depressive disorder is granted. The Veteran's claims for increased ratings are denied.