Radiculopathy & sciatica — all decisions

The Board granted an initial 60 percent rating for right lower extremity lumbar radiculopathy, sciatic nerve and entitlement to TDIU due to service-connected disabilities.

The veteran withdrew his entire appeal, and the Board dismissed all claims for service connection.

The Board remands the claims for additional evidentiary development, including obtaining an addendum opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's colon cancer and any outstanding VA treatment records.

The Board granted a 70 percent disability rating for PTSD with major depressive disorder, denied service connection for left ear and right ear hearing loss, and remanded claims for a neck condition and right upper extremity radiculopathy.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and remanded claims for chronic sinusitis, allergic rhinitis, and cervical degenerative arthritis with right upper extremity radiculopathy due to insufficient evidence.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation based on the need for aid and attendance due to his service-connected disabilities, including bipolar disorder.

The Board granted an initial disability rating of 20 percent for right and left lower extremity radiculopathy, as the Veteran's symptoms more closely approximate moderate incomplete paralysis.

The Board denied an initial rating higher than 50 percent for PTSD, granted a 20 percent rating for bilateral dry eye syndrome, and denied ratings higher than 10 percent for left knee strain with arthritis and a compensable initial rating for right ear hearing loss. The Board also denied service connection for left ear hearing loss, tinnitus, left hip arthralgia, right hip arthralgia, right foot pes planus and plantar fasciitis, status post subtalar joint arthrodesis (right foot condition), and candida infections but granted service connection for left leg lower extremity radiculopathy and right leg lower extremity radiculopathy secondary to lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis.

The Board dismissed the appeal for a rating in excess of 70 percent for posttraumatic stress disorder and granted earlier effective dates for service connection for tinnitus, lumbar spine disability, left lower extremity radiculopathy, right lower extremity radiculopathy, and obstructive sleep apnea. It also granted a TDIU from March 24, 2023, and SMC at the housebound rate.

The appeal was granted for service connection of a lumbar spine disability, radiculopathy of the left lower extremity, and a right wrist disability due to new evidence. Tinnitus was granted on direct service connection.

The Board remands the issues of entitlement to increased ratings for lumbar spine degenerative disc disease with intervertebral disc syndrome, left and right lower extremity radiculopathy, as well as special monthly compensation and total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for right and left upper extremity cervical radiculopathy, finding that the evidence did not support a rating in excess of 40 percent for the right (major) upper extremity and 30 percent for the left (minor) upper extremity.

The appeal for an earlier effective date of September 26, 2023, was dismissed as moot because the benefit sought had already been granted.

The Board granted an effective date of March 16, 2023, for ratings ranging from 10 to 50 percent for various service-connected conditions.

The appeal for both entitlement to individual unemployability and service connection for chronic back pain without sciatica has been withdrawn by the Veteran's authorized representative.

The Board granted an initial rating of 50 percent for chronic tension headaches but denied higher ratings for right and left upper extremity radiculopathy, remanded claims for cervical strain, fibromyalgia, SLE, and TDIU.

The Board granted service connection for a lower back condition, to include degenerative arthritis, intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS), spinal stenosis, and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy.

The Veteran was granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability from December 15, 2020 to April 26, 2022 due to service-connected major depressive disorder, degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, and left sciatic nerve radiculopathy.

The Board granted an initial rating of 30 percent for right upper extremity (RUE) radiculopathy, but no higher.

The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, including traumatic brain injury (TBI), pain of cervical and cervicothoracic regions, radicular pain and hypoesthesia of left upper extremity, pain and dysfunction of lumbar spine, right sciatic radicular pain, left sciatic radicular pain, right hip pain, left hip pain, right knee pain, left knee pain, post traumatic residual pain of right foot, and bilateral hearing loss.