Radiculopathy & sciatica Board decisions

The Board denied service connection for sleep apnea, a back disability, bilateral upper and lower extremity nerve disabilities, chronic fatigue syndrome, and GERD as there was no evidence of a current disability or a nexus to service.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for left and right upper extremity radiculopathy to obtain an addendum opinion addressing whether these conditions are aggravated by the Veteran's service-connected disabilities.

The Board remands the appeal for an addendum opinion that considers the ameliorative effects of medication when evaluating the Veteran's bilateral radiculopathy of the lower extremities.

The Board remands the claims for initial ratings in excess of 10 percent for lumbosacral strain and lower extremity radiculopathies to ensure a complete record is available.

The Board denied the Veteran's request for an earlier effective date for service connection for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine and IVDS, left lower extremity radiculopathy (sciatic nerve), and right lower extremity radiculopathy (sciatic nerve).

The Board granted service connection for a cervical spine condition and dismissed the claim for PTSD, while denying claims for radiculopathy of the right upper extremity, TBI rating increase, status post right knee meniscectomy rating increase, and scar rating.

The appeal regarding the Veteran's entitlement to a rating in excess of 20 percent for sciatic radiculopathy, left lower extremity, is dismissed due to a modified Notice of Disagreement.

The Board restored the 40 percent rating for left lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy, effective May 27, 2025, as the reduction was improper due to a lack of sustained improvement.

The Board dismissed the veteran's appeals for increased evaluations of service-connected bilateral hearing loss and bilateral lower extremities radiculopathy disabilities due to untimely filings or concurrent elections.

The Board granted service connection for tinnitus, sleep apnea, cervical spine (neck) disability, lumbar spine (back) disability, right lower extremity radiculopathy, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and erectile dysfunction. The appeal was dismissed for major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder due to the grant of an unspecified depressive disorder with anxious distress.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for earlier effective dates and increased ratings, as well as service connection for rhinitis, higher ratings for lumbar spine disability and left lower extremity radiculopathy, and a TDIU.

The Board granted service connection for radiculopathy, left upper extremity, associated with myositis, right sternocleidomastoid muscle, and assigned a 20 percent rating effective September 12, 2023.

The Board granted service connection for tinnitus, hypertension, low back disability, left sciatic radicular pain and paresthesia of left leg, bilateral elbow disability, and respiratory insufficiency (dyspnea) with nodules in lungs. The claims for a rating in excess of 50 percent for major depressive disorder, service connection for generalized anxiety disability, and service connection for bilateral hearing loss were remanded.

The Board granted a rating of 30 percent for migraines including migraine variants and denied ratings more than 10 percent for left lateral epicondylitis, GERD, and service connection claims.

The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, including right and left shoulder pain, nephrolithiasis, bilateral hearing loss, obstructive sleep apnea, cervical spine degenerative disc disease, and upper extremity radiculopathy. The claims were not granted.

The Board denied an increased rating for the lumbar spine disability and granted a 20 percent evaluation for right lower extremity radiculopathy, while denying compensable evaluations for other conditions. The Board also remanded several service connection claims.

The Board granted an effective date of August 6, 2021, but no earlier, for the award of a 10 percent rating for right hip strain, impairment of the thigh. Other claims were denied.

The Board granted disability ratings of 20 percent for each service-connected lower extremity radiculopathy of the sciatic nerve from December 13, 2022, and remanded a rating in excess of 20 percent prior to January 4, 2024, and an excess of 40 percent thereafter, for degenerative disc disease (DDD), lumbar spine with bulging disc L5-S1 and intervertebral disc syndrome.

The Board granted an effective date of July 17, 2017, for the award of a 70 percent rating for PTSD.

The Board remands the claims for increased ratings as the current VA examinations are inadequate to determine the level of disability absent the ameliorating effects of medication.