Radiculopathy & sciatica — all decisions

The Board denied service connection for neck pain, bilateral hearing loss, right lower extremity sciatica, an acquired psychiatric disorder (anxiety and depression), obstructive sleep apnea, sinusitis, and left plantar fasciitis.

The Board granted the restoration of a 20% rating for lumbosacral strain and denied a rating greater than 20%, as well as service connection for left lower extremity radiculopathy.

The claims for increased ratings and secondary service connection are being remanded to correct a duty-to-assist error.

The Veteran was granted special monthly compensation (SMC) based on the need for regular aid and attendance, SMC at the M level based on loss of use of the lower extremities, and SMC at the O level based on the award of SMC L and SMC M. The claim for SMC based on housebound status was dismissed as moot.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a disability rating higher than 10 percent for right lower extremity sciatic radiculopathy based on the evidence of record.

The Board denied an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for pseudofolliculitis barbae and granted a 20 percent rating for left and right lower extremity sciatic radiculopathy, while denying service connection for carpal tunnel syndrome, insomnia, neck strain, shoulder strain, and sleep apnea.

The Board remands the claims for further development and evidence gathering.

The Board granted service connection for bilateral foot plantar fasciitis and a TDIU prior to July 24, 2025, while denying higher ratings for back disability, left lower extremity sciatic radiculopathy, right lower extremity sciatic radiculopathy, and mental health disability.

The Board remands the claims for service connection and TDIU due to unverified periods of active duty for training (ADT) and inactive duty for training (IDT), as well as a lack of complete service treatment records.

The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, but denied service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), left restless leg syndrome, right restless leg syndrome, lumbosacral strain, left lower extremity sciatic radiculopathy, right lower extremity sciatic radiculopathy, right ankle disability, right ankle scar, and hypertension. The Board also remanded several claims for further development.

The Board granted a separate rating for radiculopathy of the right lower extremity from March 17, 2020, and a 40 percent rating for both the right and left lower extremities from May 28, 2010, to September 9, 2021.

The Board granted service connection for a left ankle disorder and assigned initial ratings of 40 percent, but no higher, for right upper extremity radiculopathy and 30 percent, but no higher, for left upper extremity radiculopathy.

The Board denied service connection for left lower extremity radiculopathy, chronic fatigue syndrome, eye dryness, and morbid (severe) obesity. The claim for service connection for left hand strain was remanded.

The Board granted a temporary total evaluation for the service-connected lumbar spine disability requiring convalescence from July 20, 2018, to August 31, 2018. The Board also granted initial ratings of 20 percent for radiculopathy of the right and left lower extremities involving the sciatic nerve until certain dates, denied higher ratings, and granted a 50 percent rating for the lumbar spine disability starting September 1, 2018.

The Board denied the veteran's attempts to appeal rating decisions that denied service connection for various conditions and reduced his evaluation, as the appeals were not timely filed.

The Board denied increased ratings for posttraumatic and tension headaches, hypertension, erectile dysfunction, tinnitus, and remanded several claims related to radiculopathy, ankle, thumb, and tinnitus. An effective date of May 3, 2019, was granted for the grant of service connection for right lower extremity radiculopathy impacting the femoral nerve.

The Board denied an increased rating for the Veteran's lumbar spine disability and left lower extremity radiculopathy, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating under applicable criteria.

The Board granted service connection for cervical spine strain, left and right upper extremity radiculopathy, migraine headaches, and depressive disorder, finding that these conditions are secondary to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities.

The Board denied a rating in excess of 40 percent for the Veteran's low back disability and granted initial 20 percent ratings for bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy of both the sciatic and femoral nerves.

The Board remands the issues of entitlement to increased ratings for lumbosacral strain with degenerative changes, right lower extremity radiculopathy, and left lower extremity radiculopathy due to insufficient evidence.