Radiculopathy & sciatica — all decisions

The Board granted service connection for a back disability, left lower lumbar radiculopathy, and right lower lumbar radiculopathy.

The Board finds that the Veteran is in need of personal care services for a minimum of six continuous months due to an inability to complete ADLs such as bathing, dressing himself, and toileting.

The Board granted an earlier effective date of June 1, 1997, for the award of service connection for radiculopathy, left lower extremity, sciatic nerve.

The Board granted service connection for several conditions, including lumbar spine degenerative arthritis and radiculopathy of the sciatic and femoral nerves, with effective dates from March 15, 2013. The Board also granted a TDIU and DEA based on unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.

The Board dismissed the claims for service connection for ADHD and spondylolisthesis, cervical spinal stenosis, and neck strain as they were not ripe for review. The remaining claims are remanded for further development.

The Board granted an initial rating of 30 percent for herpes simplex and denied a higher rating for left lower extremity radiculopathy.

The Board granted service connection for right hip arthritis and a TDIU as of June 8, 2020, while denying increased ratings for sciatica, left hip arthritis, and bilateral hearing loss.

The appeal for a higher rating for left shoulder strain with bursitis has been withdrawn, and the appeal for service connection for left upper extremity radiculopathy is untimely.

The Board denied service connection for a back disability and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy as the evidence did not support an increase in severity of the preexisting conditions during service or a link to service-connected disabilities.

The Board remands the claims for an initial disability rating greater than 10 percent for radiculopathy of the right and left lower extremities, sciatic nerve, to obtain a new VA examination to assess the current severity of the Veteran's conditions.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection and higher ratings, as well as a TDIU prior to April 8, 2022.

The Board granted service connection for lumbosacral strain, cervical strain, right lower extremity radiculopathy as secondary to the lumbosacral strain, and left lower extremity radiculopathy as secondary to the lumbosacral strain.

The Board denied the veteran's appeals for service connection due to untimely filings.

The Board denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) and special monthly compensation (SMC) for the period from August 29, 2014, to June 16, 2019.

The Board remands the issues of entitlement to higher initial ratings for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.

The Board granted service connection for cervical degenerative arthritis, cervical radiculopathy of both upper extremities, thoracolumbar degenerative arthritis, and lumbar radiculopathy of both lower extremities based on the evidence showing that these conditions began during and have continued since service.

The appeal for service connection for right ankle pain is dismissed as moot, while the appeals for service connection for right and left lower extremity thoracic radiculopathy are denied due to lack of evidence showing a current disability.

The Board granted a 40 percent rating for the low back disability, denied an increased rating in excess of 20 percent for right lower extremity femoral nerve radiculopathy, granted a separate 10 percent rating for left lower extremity femoral nerve radiculopathy, and denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board granted an earlier effective date of August 3, 2018, for the award of service connection for left lower extremity radiculopathy, secondary to a service-connected low back disability.

The Board is remanding the claims for a neurological examination to address concerns raised by the Court regarding the October 2020 VA examination report.