Radiculopathy & sciatica Board decisions

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have resulted in permanent and total disability that is due to the loss or loss of use of one or both lower extremities so as to preclude locomotion without the aid of braces, crutches, canes or a wheelchair. The Board grants entitlement to a certificate of eligibility for assistance in acquiring specially adapted housing.

The Board granted service connection for cervical radiculopathy of the right upper extremity and degenerative arthritis of the left hip as secondary to service-connected disabilities, effective April 13, 2011.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims due to a need for additional examinations and further development of his medical records.

The Veteran seeks a temporary total rating for convalescence following his December 23, 2008 lumbar disc surgery. The RO denied the claim as the surgery was not related to his service-connected back disorder but rather an inservice workplace injury or fall at home.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him helpless in the performance of activities of daily living and in protecting himself from everyday hazards, warranting special monthly compensation based on the need for aid and attendance.

The Veteran's low back disability has been evaluated at 20 percent since October 23, 2007. The current evidence does not support an increase in the rating due to lack of limitation of motion or ankylosis.

The Veteran's claimed conditions, including joint pain, impaired balance, muscle pain, and neurological symptoms of the upper and lower extremities, are not related to service. The Board finds that service connection is not warranted for these conditions.

The Veteran was found to be unemployable due to his service-connected disabilities for the period from April 12, 2006 to May 4, 2011.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations and service connection were denied. The Board found no current hearing loss disability, and the Veteran does not have a compensable evaluation for his lumbar strain with degenerative disc disease and intervertebral disc disease.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased evaluations and service connection, finding that his conditions did not warrant higher ratings or additional benefits.

The Veteran is seeking compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 for sciatic nerve damage with residual left leg pain, numbness in toes, and burning sensation in left heel resulting from a VA lumbar spine surgery performed in November 2001. The case is being remanded to obtain updated treatment records and conduct a VA examination.

The Veteran's TDIU is denied as the earliest effective date that meets the criteria for a TDIU was November 16, 2009.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for a videoconference hearing before a Veterans Law Judge at the RO in Boston. The issues of entitlement to increased evaluations for sciatic neuropathy and radiculopathy are pending.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including VA examinations and consideration of his claims for service connection and increased ratings.

The Veteran's cervical spondylosis and related radiculopathy have been granted service connection, with a rating of 40 percent since April 23, 2008.

The Veteran's appeals for increased disability ratings and aid and attendance allowance have been dismissed due to her withdrawal of the appeal.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder is rated at the highest possible evaluation of 70 percent, effective from November 22, 2013. The left leg disability and back disability are both evaluated based on their respective service-connected conditions.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development of evidence, including obtaining records from a hospitalization in 1995 and any relevant VA treatment records. The Veteran's low back disability will be examined by an orthopedic surgeon to determine if it was present during service or is related to his current condition.

An initial rating in excess of 20 percent for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine is not warranted.,For radiculopathy of the right lower extremity and left lower extremity, an initial rating in excess of 10 percent is not warranted.

The Veteran's bilateral lumbar radiculopathy is found to be related to his service-connected lumbar strain with degenerative disc disease L1-L2, and thus service connection for this condition is granted.