Radiculopathy & sciatica Board decisions

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including his back disability and bilateral leg disabilities, render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment. As a result, the Board has granted TDIU.

The Veteran is granted a 20 percent rating for his right knee condition, effective from June 4, 2015. He remains rated at 10 percent for the painful limited range of motion and peripheral neuropathy.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, prior to January 13, 2012, have rendered him unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment due to his chronic low back strain with spondylosis and sciatica of the lower extremities.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The issue of service connection for a cervical spine disorder was withdrawn by the Veteran.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's sciatica is attributable to service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated treatment records and arranging for a VA examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected lumbar spine and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy disabilities. The AOJ must also consider whether an extraschedular rating is warranted based on the impact of these disabilities on employment.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining private treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to determine if the Veteran's back disorder is related to his military service or any of his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's low back disability and radiculopathy of the bilateral lower extremities have been evaluated based on their current manifestations. The claim for increased ratings is denied as the evidence does not show that the disabilities warrant a higher rating at any point.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment, and thus denies his claim for a TDIU.

The Veteran's service-connected spine disability renders him unable to obtain or maintain any form of substantially gainful employment consistent with his education, training, and work history since January 2, 2011.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining VA and SSA records, scheduling a VA examination, and issuing a statement of the case on the issues of service connection for low back disability and psychiatric disorder.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for various conditions, including tinnitus and PTSD, were granted. The hearing loss claim was denied as there is no current disability meeting VA criteria.

The Board denied all service connection claims, including those for schizophrenia, anxiety and depression, hearing loss, tinnitus, residuals of a fractured left tibia, back condition, and sciatica of the left lower extremity. The decision also addressed whether new and material evidence had been submitted to reopen a claim of entitlement to service connection for schizophrenia.

The Veteran's service-connected radiculopathy of the right and left lower extremities has been evaluated as mild incomplete paralysis, warranting a 10 percent rating. The claims for higher ratings are denied.

The Board has granted a 40 percent rating for the Veteran's low back disability and increased ratings for radiculopathies of both lower extremities, effective from February 28, 2013. The decision also addressed whether higher ratings were warranted for these conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain missing VA treatment records and for further development, including arranging for the Veteran to undergo additional examination if appropriate.

The Veteran's service-connected peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities is not manifested by moderate incomplete paralysis, and therefore, the initial ratings in excess of 10 percent for both right and left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy are denied.

The Veteran is entitled to an effective date of April 27, 2004 for the grant of a TDIU due to service-connected disabilities preventing him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records from 1996 to 2006 and seeking an opinion regarding whether falls resulting from left leg weakness caused the Veteran's back disabilities.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development, including obtaining outstanding service treatment records and an addendum opinion concerning the nature and etiology of his neck disability. The Veteran is seeking service connection for erectile dysfunction and cervical spine disorder, with secondary to a service-connected left wrist causalgia.