Radiculopathy & sciatica — all decisions

The Board granted readjudication of the claim for service connection for a right hip disability, to include as secondary to a service-connected right knee disability, and denied an effective date prior to June 8, 2022, for the award of service connection for spinal stenosis, right lower extremity sciatic radiculopathy, and left lower extremity sciatic radiculopathy.

The Board granted an earlier effective date of August 23, 2016, for the award of service connection and a separate 10 percent rating for right and left lower extremity radiculopathy affecting the sciatic nerves.

The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and status post left shoulder surgeries, but denied service connection for lumbosacral strain, sciatic pain in the right leg, sciatic pain in the left leg, right big toe pain, and a right upper extremity disability.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral tinnitus, left and right sciatic radicular pain and paresthesia, allergic rhinitis, chronic fatigue syndrome, and an initial rating in excess of 40 percent for lumbosacral strain.

The Board remands the claims for higher initial ratings and earlier effective dates for bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy due to insufficient evidence regarding the severity of symptoms without considering medication effects.

The Board remands the issues of service connection for a recurrent lumbar spine disability, recurrent right lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy, and entitlement to a rating in excess of 10 percent for right knee strain due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors.

The Board granted service connection for sleep apnea, right wrist sprain, left wrist disability manifested by pain, left foot arthritis, right foot arthritis and hallux valgus, headaches, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, degenerative changes of the cervical spine, right lateral epicondylitis (claimed as right arm disability), and left upper extremity cervical radiculopathy (claimed as left arm disability and left elbow disability).

The Board remands the issues of entitlement to a higher disability rating for left and right lower extremity femoral nerve radiculopathy due to duty to assist errors.

The Board granted a 20 percent rating for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy, but denied a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss.

The Board denied increased ratings for the lumbar spine disability, right and left lower extremity radiculopathy (femoral), posterior trunk scars, and painful scars. However, it granted a rating of 40 percent for the lumbar spine disability from August 30, 2022, an earlier effective date of April 10, 2019, for service connection for painful trunk scars, and an earlier effective date of November 9, 2020, for TDIU and DEA.

The Board granted a 10 percent disability rating for the service-connected scar, status-post appendectomy, but denied all other claims for increased ratings and service connection.

The Board remands the claims for an earlier effective date and higher initial rating for radiculopathy of the right lower extremity due to a duty to assist error regarding notification of the Veteran's right to a hearing.

The Board denied increased ratings for multiple service-connected conditions and denied service connection for several additional conditions, including tinnitus, chronic sinusitis, left sciatic radicular pain of the left leg, traumatic brain injury (TBI), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), chronic fatigue syndrome, and a back disorder.

The Board denied the veteran's appeal for higher initial disability ratings for right and left upper extremity radiculopathy, finding that the symptoms approximated no more than moderate incomplete paralysis.

The Board denied a rating in excess of 50 percent for vascular headaches and granted restoration of the cervical spine, left upper extremity radiculopathy, and lumbar spine disability ratings.

The appeals for initial evaluations of erectile dysfunction, lumbar spine spondylosis with degenerative disc disease, and radiculopathy in the right and left lower extremities have been withdrawn and dismissed.

The Board denied increased ratings for the Veteran's lumbar spine degenerative disc disease, lower extremity radiculopathy, and left salpingectomy with residual pelvic adhesions.

The Board granted an earlier effective date of November 21, 2022, for the grant of service connection for a cervical strain and related nerve root disabilities.

The Board granted service connection for bilateral tinnitus and an initial 70 percent rating, but not higher, for persistent depressive disorder with anxious distress. Other claims were denied or remanded.

The appeal for earlier effective dates for various service-connected conditions was denied or dismissed due to the lack of legal basis.