Radiculopathy & sciatica — all decisions

The Board granted service connection for a left breast mass condition and denied increased ratings for a trunk scar above the right breast and bilateral hearing loss. Several claims were remanded.

The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his service-connected disabilities caused and/or materially contributed to his COPD, which was listed as the immediate cause of death.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy, finding that the evidence did not support ratings in excess of 10 percent.

The Board denied an increased rating for tinnitus and dismissed the appeals related to the proposed reductions in ratings for degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine, right shoulder bicipital tendonitis and rotator cuff tendonitis, and cervical spine.

The Veteran's lumbosacral strain with IVDS was granted a 40 percent disability rating, and service connection for right and left lower extremity radiculopathies associated with the condition was also granted.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation (SMC) as she did not meet the criteria for SMC under 38 U.S.C. § 1114(s).

The Board denied service connection for cervical strain with degenerative arthritis, left upper extremity cervical radiculopathy, and migraine headaches as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred in or caused by active service.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal seeking readjudication of previously denied claims for service connection for low back strain with herniated disk, radiculopathy of the left lower extremity, and radiculopathy of the right lower extremity.

The Board granted a 40 percent initial disability rating for lumbar disability, denied an increased rating for left lower extremity radiculopathy and earlier effective date for right lower extremity radiculopathy, and denied an increased rating for left foot disorder.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral upper extremity radiculopathy as secondary to cervical spine strain due to a lack of evidence supporting a current diagnosis.

The veteran's appeal request was denied as it was not timely filed, and no good cause was shown to extend the filing period.

The Board dismissed the appeal for accrued benefits related to increased ratings for various conditions, as the July 2024 rating decision was a purely ministerial implementation of the June 2024 Board decision and not appealable.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, a gynecological disorder (oligomenorrhea), and persistent depressive disorder with unspecified anxiety disorder. However, the Board granted service connection for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy of sciatic nerve.

The Board granted service connection for cervical spine degenerative disease, cervical strain, left upper extremity radiculopathy, right upper extremity radiculopathy, and migraine and occipital headaches. Service connection was denied for bilateral pes planus, papillary thyroid carcinoma, status post partial left thyroidectomy, and left foot hallux valgus.

The Board denied the Veteran's appeal for higher initial disability ratings for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy of the sciatic nerve, finding that the evidence did not support a rating in excess of 20 percent for the left leg or 10 percent for the right leg.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence of onset during or within one year after service and no medical nexus between in-service noise exposure and the current condition.

The Board remands the claims for further development as the prior remand directives were not substantially complied with.

The Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation (SMC) based on the need for aid and attendance is granted, as he requires regular assistance with dressing, keeping himself clean and presentable, and attending to his bodily needs due to service-connected disabilities.

The appeal was dismissed due to a claims processing error of erroneous docketing.

The Board granted service connection for asthma but denied service connection for chronic bronchitis and stable angina. Migraine headaches, bilateral hypermetropia, hypertension, a lumbar spine disability, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and cervical spine disability claims were withdrawn by the Veteran.