Radiculopathy & sciatica Board decisions

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened, but the Board is remanding them due to the need for additional examinations and opinions.

The Veteran's low back syndrome is currently rated at 10 percent prior to April 10, 2017 and granted a 40 percent rating from that date.,Separate ratings of 10 percent for right lower extremity radiculopathy are granted prior to April 10, 2017 and thereafter; and a separate 10 percent evaluation is granted for left lower extremity radiculopathy.

The Board has found that service connection is warranted for right knee arthritis. The Veteran's claims for left wrist disability, right hip disability, right leg disability (secondary to low back disability), and sciatica (secondary to low back disability) are being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining Social Security Administration (SSA) records and VA treatment records.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is remanded due to the inextricability of the issues. The lumbar radiculopathy rating decision will be reconsidered, and a new decision on TDIU will be issued after that.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to lack of recent VA treatment records and a need for a thorough medical examination. The Veteran's claim will be reviewed again after these are obtained.

The Board has granted service connection for a lumbar spine disability, bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, and a lumbar hernia as secondary to the Veteran's now service-connected lumbar spine disability.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for her radiculopathy of the right lower extremity was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not show moderate incomplete paralysis, which would warrant a higher rating under Diagnostic Code 8520.

The Veteran's migraines are found to have started during service and continue today, meeting the criteria for service connection.,While there is no direct evidence linking the lumbar spine disability to service, the Board finds that the Veteran's consistent reports of in-service injuries and symptoms since discharge meet the continuity of symptomatology requirement, granting service connection on a secondary basis.,The radiculopathy of the bilateral lower extremities is found to be related to the Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine disability.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient opinions regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected disabilities caused or aggravated his sleep apnea. The examiner is requested to provide an addendum opinion addressing these issues.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to outstanding private treatment records and VA treatment records from March 2020 onward.

The Veteran's radiculopathy of the right thigh is rated at 10 percent, and his lumbar sprain with residual myofascial pain is rated at 20 percent. The Board denied a higher rating for both conditions.

The Veteran's increased rating claim for radiculopathy of the left leg was granted, and he received a temporary total evaluation due to treatment requiring convalescence. He also received a TDIU.

The Veteran's back disability is rated at 40 percent, and the appeal for a higher rating remains pending. A separate rating for sciatic nerve in the left lower extremity has been granted. The claims of service connection for depression and TDIU are also remanded.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to maintain gainful employment effective February 25, 2013. A TDIU is granted on an extraschedular basis.

The Board has remanded the service connection claims for a cervical spine disorder and residuals of traumatic brain injury (TBI) to include a headache disorder, as well as the SMC and SMP claims. The issues are being remanded due to conflicting opinions regarding whether the Veteran's falls were caused or aggravated by his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for a higher rating for his right foot disability and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and employment information.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating due to individual unemployability (TDIU) on an extraschedular basis prior to August 23, 2011. The evidence did not establish that his service-connected conditions alone rendered him incapable of obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment during this period.

The Board has remanded the issues of TDIU and nonservice-connected pension benefits due to incomplete information provided by the Veteran.

The Veteran was granted a TDIU rating on an extraschedular basis from January 31, 2014, to January 22, 2018.,Prior to January 31, 2014, the Veteran did not meet the schedular criteria for TDIU.