Radiculopathy & sciatica Board decisions

The Veteran's claim for service connection for sciatica of the right lower leg is granted with an effective date of January 27, 2016. The Veteran's claim for service connection for sciatica of the left lower leg is remanded.

The Board has found that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of separate right hip disability and has not had one at any time during the pendency of the claim or recent to the filing of the claim. The case is remanded for additional opinions regarding service connection for left hip, left knee, and right knee disabilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left hip, lower extremity radiculopathy, and thoracolumbar sprain with traumatic arthritis require additional examination to determine their current severity. The issues of rating higher than 10 percent for limitation of left hip extension, limitation of flexion of the left hip, and trochanteric bursitis of the left hip are remanded as well.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further examination and evaluation of his service-connected lumbar musculoligamentous strain with mild degenerative spondylosis, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and bilateral metatarsalgia.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for an increased rating for right upper extremity radiculopathy, and the Board dismissed the claim.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU were denied. The right lower extremity radiculopathy was not granted a higher rating, while the left knee instability received a higher rating since February 7, 2021.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including his lumbar spine disability and bilateral hip disabilities, have rendered him unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment. The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for TDIU.

The Veteran's back disability is rated at 40 percent effective October 21, 2019. The Veteran also received a grant of TDIU.,The Veteran's bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy was granted initial ratings of 20 percent for the right leg and 20 percent for the left leg.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient opinions regarding whether the Veteran's conditions are secondary to his lumbar spine disability. The issues will be addressed again after obtaining additional medical opinions.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is rated at 40 percent, and the rating for his lower extremity radiculopathies remains at 10 percent. The Board denied a higher rating for these conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral sciatic peripheral neuropathy is at least as likely as not related to his documented in-service cold weather injury, and thus service connection for this condition is granted.

The Veteran's service connection claims for radiculopathy, hip disabilities, and IBS have been granted. The effective date for the award of service connection for IBS is September 12, 2013.

The Veteran's left lower extremity radiculopathy of the sciatic nerve is currently rated as 40 percent disabling prior to June 6, 2016 and 60 percent thereafter. The Veteran's left femoral nerve radiculopathy is currently rated as 30 percent disabling.,The Veteran appealed for a higher rating for his left lower extremity radiculopathy of the sciatic nerve, but the Board denied this appeal. A separate rating was granted for his left femoral nerve radiculopathy.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from securing and following substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's appeals for TDIU and service connection for bilateral upper extremity radiculopathy were dismissed. The Board also remanded the claims for a compensable rating for left and right knee instability prior to April 10, 2018.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for all issues involving the service-connected conditions and evaluations, resulting in their dismissal.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevented him from securing or following substantially gainful employment for the appeal period from March 30, 2010 to November 21, 2011. An effective date of March 30, 2010 is granted.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for sleep apnea, bilateral knee disability, and bilateral lower extremity sciatica due to insufficient consideration of lay statements in their decision.

The Board has granted service connection for right shoulder rotator cuff tendonitis, rotator cuff tear, and impingement syndrome as well as low back degenerative disc disease with bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, both of which are determined to be related to the Veteran's in-service injuries.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not prevent him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation prior to February 12, 2014.