Radiculopathy & sciatica Board decisions

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for lower extremity loss of sensation, herniated disc (cervical radiculopathy), bilateral shoulder condition including degenerative joint disease, bilateral elbow condition including degenerative joint disease, lumbar spine disability, and basal cell carcinoma due to insufficient medical opinions regarding exposure to herbicide agents during service.

The Board remanded the claims for service connection of a right leg condition and degenerative joint disease lumbar spine. The Veteran's claims will be reconsidered with additional evidence.

The Board remanded the case to determine if the veteran is entitled to an earlier effective date for his total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Board remanded the veteran's claims for higher evaluations of patellofemoral syndrome, radiculopathy, and lumbar degenerative disc disease, as well as the claim for TDIU, due to errors in the duty to assist.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have been determined to render him unable to obtain and/or maintain substantially gainful employment, thus entitling him to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).

The veteran's request for a higher rating for low back disability was denied, but service connection for right lower extremity radiculopathy as secondary to the low back disability was granted.

The veteran's appeal to reduce the disability rating for lumbosacral strain was dismissed. The veteran was granted a 40% rating for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy but denied a compensable rating for the little finger of the right hand. Issues regarding TDIU and SMC were remanded.

The Board denied earlier effective dates for several ratings and service connections but remanded the claims for erectile dysfunction and a separate rating for left lower extremity radiculopathy.

The veteran was granted a 40% rating for radiculopathy of the right lower extremity, sciatic nerve. The veteran was also granted various ratings for other conditions related to radiculopathy. Some issues were remanded and others dismissed as moot.

The Board remanded the veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities. The Board ordered a VA examination to evaluate the impact of the veteran's service-connected conditions on his ability to work.

The Board denied the veteran's appeal, confirming that the severance of service connection for radiculopathy of the right upper extremity was proper due to clear and unmistakable error.

The veteran was granted service connection for sarcoidosis and initial disability ratings of 50% for PTSD and 20% for radiculopathy of the left lower extremity. Other claims were denied or remanded.

The Board denied earlier effective dates for the veteran's COPD rating and related benefits but remanded decisions on specially adapted housing and special home adaptation grants.

The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death and Dependents Indemnity Compensation. The evidence did not show that a service-connected condition was a principal or contributory cause of the Veteran's death.

The veteran is granted an effective date of February 1, 2019 for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to service-connected conditions.

The Board denied service connection for all claimed conditions, finding that the evidence does not support a current disability or a link to service.

The veteran's claims for cervical strain, right shoulder acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis, and left shoulder strain were denied. However, the veteran was granted service connection for lumbar spine degenerative disc disease with arthritis, spondylosis, and dextroscoliosis of the thoracic spine, as well as sciatic lumbar radiculopathy in the right lower extremity.

The veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of radiculopathy and TDIU was denied. However, the veteran was granted a 70% disability rating for PTSD starting from March 5, 2020.

The Veteran is granted special monthly compensation (SMC) based on aid and attendance from October 27, 2011. This decision is based on the Veteran's need for regular aid and attendance due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as secondary to obesity caused by the Veteran's service-connected disabilities.