Radiculopathy & sciatica Board decisions

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to conflicting medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran has left lower extremity radiculopathy and if it is related to his service-connected lumbosacral strain.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to outstanding VA treatment records and for opinions regarding whether the Veteran's blackouts and anxiety are related to service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional medical records and personnel information, as well as for a new VA audiological examination. The issues of entitlement to service connection for various conditions are on appeal.

The Board has granted service connection for degenerative joint disease of the knees, a lumbar spine condition, a cervical spine condition, bilateral upper extremity radiculopathy (arms, shoulders, and fingers), and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy.,The Veteran's conditions are related to her time in military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for scheduling a Board hearing by live videoconference. The case will be returned to the Board after the hearing.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings and service connection were granted. The Veteran was assigned a 40% disability rating for the lumbar spine condition effective August 29, 2016, and TDIU was granted from that date.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for initial disability ratings and TDIU, finding that the evidence did not meet the criteria for higher ratings under the applicable rating schedule.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unemployable due to his inability to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

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

The Veteran's TDIU claim was denied as his service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Board has granted a TDIU rating effective from December 2008 and an extraschedular rating for the Veteran's low back disability. The decision also found that her service-connected conditions have prevented her from securing or following substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's appeal regarding an increased evaluation for a lumbar spine disability has been dismissed due to her withdrawal of the claim. The case is being remanded for further development and consideration of her left lower extremity radiculopathy.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for TDIU was denied as he did not meet the schedular requirements for a TDIU prior to November 21, 2008.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral total knee replacement, low back disability and sciatic nerve disability did not have their onset in service or are otherwise related to service. The evidence does not support a finding of service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disorder and left-side radiculopathy are found to be related to his service-connected right ankle fracture. His initial rating for the right ankle is increased from 10% to 20%, effective July 30, 2013.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings have been dismissed as he has withdrawn his appeal on these issues.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn by the appellant in a June 2017 letter, and therefore no further action is required.

The Veteran's claim for TDIU is being remanded to the AOJ, and an extraschedular evaluation under 38 C.F.R. § 4.16(b) will be considered by the Director of Compensation Service due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's claimed right foot disability, nerve damage to his elbow, hip condition, knee condition, and lower extremity radiculopathy. The issues were decided on the merits as there was no indication of a presumption or secondary service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including scheduling VA examinations and obtaining updated medical records. The TDIU application should also be completed.