Radiculopathy & sciatica decisions — 2026

The Board has denied the Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for multiple conditions. The case is being remanded to provide the Veteran with notice of their right to a pre-decisional hearing.

The Veteran's claims for PTSD, an initial rating in excess of 50 percent for acquired psychiatric disorder, and increased ratings for left knee patellofemoral syndrome and left lower extremity radiculopathy were denied. The Veteran's claim for a TDIU was also remanded.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates prior to April 23, 2014 for the 20% ratings of left and right lower extremity radiculopathies are denied.,The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates prior to July 2, 2024 for the grants of service connection for left and right upper extremity radiculopathies are denied.,The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date prior to July 2, 2024 for the increased rating of 40% for lumbar spine disability is denied.

The Board denied service connection for lower back pain and total disability based upon individual unemployability, finding that the Veteran's current back complaints did not originate in or are otherwise related to his military service.

The Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine, sciatic radiculopathy, and femoral nerve radiculopathy disabilities have been remanded for further review.

The Board has granted service connection for a neck disability and bilateral upper extremity radiculopathy as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected neck disability.

The Veteran's claims for service connection related to herbicide exposure have been granted with effective dates of August 18, 2003. The Board also remanded several other issues including higher initial ratings and TDIU.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates prior to January 27, 2006, for service connection of bilateral upper extremity radiculopathy were denied as there was no claim filed before that date.,The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates prior to January 30, 2004, for service connection of bilateral sciatic nerve radiculopathy were denied as there was no claim filed before that date.,The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates prior to September 29, 2021, for service connection of bilateral femoral nerve radiculopathy were denied as the conditions were not diagnosed or claimed until then.

The Veteran's bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy is granted, and the left knee and right knee disabilities are denied. The Veteran's sinusitis is granted with a specific effective date.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for right upper extremity radiculopathy was granted.,An increased rating of 40 percent for left upper extremity radiculopathy, effective from October 2, 2023, was granted.

The Board has identified several duty-to-assist errors and is remanding the claims for service connection due to incomplete medical records, lack of proper notification, and inadequate examinations.

The Board dismissed the appeals regarding proposed reductions in ratings for right upper extremity radiculopathy and lumbar spine conditions due to procedural issues.

The Board has restored the previous ratings of 20% for left lower extremity radiculopathy and 10% for right lower extremity radiculopathy, as the reduction was improper due to lack of actual improvement in symptoms.

The Veteran's service connection claims for various conditions have been granted, with some issues being remanded for further evaluation.

The Board has remanded the claims for higher ratings for the Veteran's back disability and left lower extremity radiculopathy due to a duty to assist error. The TDIU claim is also being remanded as it is inextricably intertwined with the other issues.

The Board has dismissed the claims for left wrist disability, TBI, and lower back condition due to withdrawal by the Veteran's representative. The cervical injury, bilateral upper extremity radiculopathy service connection claims are remanded as new evidence supports reopening these claims.

The Veteran was unable to maintain substantially gainful employment due to service-connected disabilities, and the Board granted a TDIU for the period from February 20, 2020 to January 21, 2022.

The Veteran's initial ratings for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine and radiculopathy of the right lower extremity have been granted at a 20 percent level, effective November 17, 2016.

The Veteran's disability rating for left lower extremity radiculopathy, sciatic nerve was reduced from 20 percent to 10 percent effective August 1, 2020. The Board found that the reduction was improper and restored the original 20 percent rating.