The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for radiculopathy of the right lower and upper extremities have been denied as his conditions do not meet the criteria for a higher disability rating under the applicable diagnostic codes.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations did not show any evidence of moderate paralysis or severe incomplete paralysis, which are required for higher disability ratings under Diagnostic Codes 8520 and 4.124a (for radiculopathy of the upper extremities).
- Claimed conditions
- Radiculopathy of the Right Lower Extremity, Radiculopathy of the Right Upper Extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 15, 2010
- Citation
- 1014361
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 1014361.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for degenerative disc disease with spinal stenosis, radiculopathy of the left lower extremity, and radiculopathy of the right lower extremity.
- Partly granted
The Board denied increased ratings for the Veteran's back disability, radiculopathy of both lower extremities, limitation of pronation and flexion of the right elbow, and scarring, but granted a 40 percent rating from March 26, 2024 to September 17, 2024.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, finding that the evidence did not support higher ratings or service connection.
- Denied
The Board denied increased disability ratings for the Veteran's back, radiculopathy of both lower extremities, and a surgical scar, as well as earlier effective dates for these conditions.
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