The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is rated at 20 percent, and his radiculopathy of the left lower extremity warrants a separate 10 percent rating. The Veteran's right lower extremity radiculopathy does not meet criteria for an increased rating.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine has been rated based on limitation of motion, with forward flexion to at least 70 degrees and no additional loss of motion upon repetitive use. The radiculopathy of both lower extremities is rated separately as mild sensory impairment without evidence of bowel or bladder impairment.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, Radiculopathy of the right lower extremity, Radiculopathy of the left lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- November 4, 2011
- Citation
- 1141214
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 1141214.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied extraschedular ratings for the Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine and lower extremity radiculopathy disabilities, as well as a total disability rating based on individual unemployability prior to February 3, 2011.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine and lumbar spine was granted with effective dates of May 13, 2019.
- Granted
The Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine was diagnosed during service and has continued since then. The Board granted service connection for this condition based on continuity of symptomatology.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to inadequate examinations and the need for a retrospective opinion regarding the severity of his service-connected lumbar spine disability.
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