Radiculopathy & sciatica Board decisions

The Board has decided to remand the claim for a new medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's lower back disorder is secondary to his service-connected left rhomboid muscle strain.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for degenerative joint and disc disease and stenosis of the lumbar spine with radiculopathy of the bilateral lower extremities, cervical spine disability, and radiculopathy of the upper extremities due to inadequate medical opinions provided in the previous VA examinations.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU have been remanded due to the need for additional examinations to assess the severity of his lumbar spine condition and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy.

The Board found that the Veteran's PTSD showed sustained improvement and did not meet the criteria for a higher rating. The reduction of his PTSD rating from 70% to 50% was proper.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for left ankle condition and back disorder due to insufficient consideration of the Veteran's lay statements regarding his service-connected injuries.

Your claims for service connection for radiculopathy of the left and right sciatic nerves have been dismissed as your appeal has already resulted in a full grant of benefits.

The Board has restored service connection for the listed conditions due to clear and unmistakable error in severing them.

The Board has determined that the appellant's service-connected thoracolumbar disability and radiculopathy prevent him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment, granting his claim for TDIU on an extraschedular basis.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a separate rating for bilateral upper extremity radiculopathy secondary to service-connected disc disease of the cervical spine, finding that there is no current disability supporting his claim.

The Board has remanded the claims for increased ratings for cervical radiculopathy of the bilateral upper extremities due to unclear findings and need for clarification on which nerve groups are affected.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeal for an increased rating for radiculopathy right upper extremity with carpal tunnel syndrome.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities of the back, left shoulder, and bilateral lower extremities prevent him from working. The Board has referred his claim for TDIU to VA's Director of Compensation Service for extraschedular consideration due to the worsening of his back disability.

The Veteran's claim for hepatitis C service connection is granted. The ratings for his knee and lumbar spine disabilities are also granted, with some periods of time having temporary increased ratings.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for increased disability evaluations and TDIU related to various knee conditions, radiculopathy, and hypertension. The claims are dismissed as a result.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for all issues related to the conditions listed, including ratings and service connection claims. The Board dismissed these appeals as a result.

The Board has granted service connection for a lumbar spine disability characterized as degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine with radiculopathy of the bilateral lower extremities, organic PLMD, and chronic insomnia, all of which are found to have onset during active duty.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's back disability, bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, bilateral ankle disabilities, and bilateral knee disabilities. The conditions are related to his military service.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability was initially rated as 20 percent disabling from November 12, 2002 to July 28, 2014 and increased to 40 percent since then.,Since December 26, 2019, the Veteran's left lower extremity radiculopathy has been rated as 20 percent disabling.

The Board has granted service connection for a right shoulder condition. The issues of service connection for bilateral upper extremity radiculopathy and left lower extremity radiculopathy are remanded due to the need for additional development.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD prevented him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment for the period from December 20, 2013 to August 9, 2019. The Board granted a TDIU based solely on his PTSD during this period.