Radiculopathy & sciatica Board decisions

The Board remands the issues of entitlement to a higher disability rating for left and right lower extremity femoral nerve radiculopathy due to duty to assist errors.

The Board granted an earlier effective date of August 23, 2016, for the award of service connection and a separate 10 percent rating for right and left lower extremity radiculopathy affecting the sciatic nerves.

The Board denied the veteran's appeal for higher initial disability ratings for right and left upper extremity radiculopathy, finding that the symptoms approximated no more than moderate incomplete paralysis.

The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and status post left shoulder surgeries, but denied service connection for lumbosacral strain, sciatic pain in the right leg, sciatic pain in the left leg, right big toe pain, and a right upper extremity disability.

The Board remands the claims for higher initial ratings and earlier effective dates for bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy due to insufficient evidence regarding the severity of symptoms without considering medication effects.

The Board granted readjudication of the claim for service connection for a right hip disability, to include as secondary to a service-connected right knee disability, and denied an effective date prior to June 8, 2022, for the award of service connection for spinal stenosis, right lower extremity sciatic radiculopathy, and left lower extremity sciatic radiculopathy.

The Board denied increased ratings for the Veteran's degenerative disc disease of the L5-S1 lumbar spine and sciatica in both lower extremities, finding that the current ratings were appropriate.

The Board granted an earlier effective date of November 21, 2022, for the grant of service connection for a cervical strain and related nerve root disabilities.

The Board dismissed the veteran's claims for service connection for a back condition, right leg condition, left foot condition, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and right foot condition due to procedural defects.

The Board denied a rating in excess of 50 percent for vascular headaches and granted restoration of the cervical spine, left upper extremity radiculopathy, and lumbar spine disability ratings.

The Board remands the issues of service connection for a recurrent lumbar spine disability, recurrent right lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy, and entitlement to a rating in excess of 10 percent for right knee strain due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors.

The Board granted service connection for a low back condition and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy but denied service connection for tinnitus. The Board also granted ratings in the form of effective dates for certain conditions, while denying increased ratings.

The Board granted service connection for headaches and lumbar spine disability, while denying service connection for traumatic brain injury (TBI), sciatica radicular pain hypoesthesia, paresthesia of the left lower extremity (LLE) and right lower extremity (RLE), cervical spine disability, radicular pain hypoesthesia, paresthesia of the left upper extremity (LUE) and right upper extremity (RUE), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), third digit of left hand, pain, third digit of right hand, pain, degenerative joint disease with impingement syndrome, right shoulder status post arthroscopy, left shoulder strain, gastroesophageal reflux disorder (GERD), bilateral hearing loss, hemorrhoids, and onychomycosis.

The Board denied earlier effective dates for the grants of service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, cervical strain, lumbar strain, and associated bilateral radicular disabilities.

The Board granted a 10 percent disability rating for the service-connected scar, status-post appendectomy, but denied all other claims for increased ratings and service connection.

The appeals for initial evaluations of erectile dysfunction, lumbar spine spondylosis with degenerative disc disease, and radiculopathy in the right and left lower extremities have been withdrawn and dismissed.

The Board remands the claims for an earlier effective date and higher initial rating for radiculopathy of the right lower extremity due to a duty to assist error regarding notification of the Veteran's right to a hearing.

The Board denied increased ratings for the lumbar spine disability, right and left lower extremity radiculopathy (femoral), posterior trunk scars, and painful scars. However, it granted a rating of 40 percent for the lumbar spine disability from August 30, 2022, an earlier effective date of April 10, 2019, for service connection for painful trunk scars, and an earlier effective date of November 9, 2020, for TDIU and DEA.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral tinnitus, left and right sciatic radicular pain and paresthesia, allergic rhinitis, chronic fatigue syndrome, and an initial rating in excess of 40 percent for lumbosacral strain.

The Board denied increased ratings for multiple service-connected conditions and denied service connection for several additional conditions, including tinnitus, chronic sinusitis, left sciatic radicular pain of the left leg, traumatic brain injury (TBI), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), chronic fatigue syndrome, and a back disorder.