The Board finds that the appellant's radiculopathy of the left lower extremity has resulted in weakness and numbness with occasional, partial left foot drop tantamount to no worse than moderate incomplete paralysis of the sciatic nerve. Therefore, an initial evaluation in excess of 20 percent is not warranted.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations conducted during the appeal period have consistently shown mild to moderate symptoms consistent with a 20% rating under Diagnostic Code 8520 for radiculopathy of the left lower extremity.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, left ankle disability, bilateral knee degenerative changes, back disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- October 13, 2011
- Citation
- 1138117
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 1138117.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and a ruptured right ear drum was dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has expanded the scope of the claim to include any mental health disorder raised by the record and has remanded for additional development regarding service connection for left leg, ankle, and psychiatric disabilities.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was noted upon entry into active duty service and did not increase in severity during service. Therefore, it denied his claim for service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, and PTSD due to additional development of records and examination.
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