The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings are denied. The Board finds that the evidence does not support a higher rating or an earlier effective date for his right lower extremity radiculopathy.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not show that the Veteran has any current neurological condition of the left leg, and there is no indication that his symptoms are due to service-connected disability. The Veteran's right lower extremity radiculopathy is rated as 20 percent disabling based on moderate incomplete paralysis of the sciatic nerve.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, right hip disorder with arthritis, left ankle disorder with arthritis, disability manifested by numbness and tingling of the left leg (claimed as radiculopathy), rheumatoid arthritis of the right knee
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- May 29, 2014
- Citation
- 1424278
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 1424278.
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.
- 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss claim, specifically needing an addendum opinion from a VA examiner. The Veteran will be asked to provide any missing records and former employers' information.
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