Radiculopathy & sciatica Board decisions

The Board has remanded several claims for additional medical opinions and to obtain relevant records, including from Social Security Administration (SSA). The issues include service connection for various conditions such as right shoulder disability, left shoulder disability, carpal tunnel syndrome, flat feet, edema, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, sleep apnea, headache disorder, head injury residuals, and an acquired psychiatric disorder other than insomnia.

The Board has remanded the claims for additional development, including obtaining medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's claimed disabilities and scheduling VA examinations.

The claims for higher ratings for mild arthritic changes of the lumbar spine and compensable disability rating for a lumbar spine surgical scar have been dismissed.,A 60% disability rating has been granted for service-connected right lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy, and another 60% disability rating has been granted for service-connected left lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection and increased ratings were dismissed. The Board also granted a TDIU based on her service-connected disabilities.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for right and left lower extremity radiculopathy due to the need for clarification of the nature of his disability, a new VA examination, and consideration of the one-year period prior to December 4, 2009, when determining the effective date of any increased rating.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further examination and evaluation on the issues of service connection for cervical spine disability, bilateral shoulder disability, radiculopathy of the bilateral upper extremities, right foot disability (including bunion), and OSA.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and a TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and records.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's low back disability, diagnosed as lumbosacral spondylosis, lumbar radiculopathy, lumbosacral strain, and arthritis, finding that it had its onset during service.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including a higher rating for lumbar spine strain and radiculopathy, as well as service connection for lower extremity radiculopathy. The TDIU claim is also being remanded.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for his bilateral sciatic radiculopathy has been granted. However, the claims for increased ratings for right shoulder status post-surgery and degenerative arthritis of the left shoulder are remanded due to missing private treatment records.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a new VA examination to assess his service-connected cervical spine disability and bilateral upper extremity radiculopathy, as well as additional development of the claims file.

The Board has restored the prior ratings for right and left upper extremity radiculopathy, effective August 1, 2018, due to a procedural error in reducing those ratings.

The Veteran's increased ratings for bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy are denied. The appeal is not about service connection, but rather the assignment of a specific rating.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, lumbar spine disability, and radiculopathy of both lower extremities due to lack of a current diagnosis for PTSD and failure to cooperate with VA examination requests.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for low back disability and right sciatic nerve radiculopathy were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his symptoms.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral knee disorder, right and left lower extremity radiculopathy are remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding the etiology of these conditions.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for left lower extremity radiculopathy is remanded due to the need for additional development, including scheduling of VA examinations and obtaining medical records.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for a back disorder and pancreatitis due to incomplete development of his medical records, particularly those from before 2007. The VA examiner is requested to provide opinions regarding whether these conditions are related to service.

The Board denied service connection for a cervical spine disability and a lumbar spine disability, including lumbar disc herniation at L4-L5 status post laminectomy, spondylosis and right sided radiculopathy. The Veteran's cervical spine disability was found not to be related to his active duty service or any other condition. His lumbar spine disability was also not found to be directly related to his active duty service.,The Board concluded that the Veteran did not have a compensable degree of cervical spine disability within one year after discharge and there was no evidence of chronicity of care, complaints, or treatment during service.

The Veteran's lumbar strain and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy have been rated based on their service-connected status. The Board has found that the evidence does not support a higher rating for these conditions during the appeal period.