The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for her back disability was denied. She is currently rated at 20% for right lower extremity radiculopathy, effective June 25, 2009.,Her claim for increased ratings for both conditions has been partially granted with the right lower extremity radiculopathy receiving a rating of 20%, effective June 25, 2009.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's back disability did not meet criteria for higher ratings based on functional impairment or ankylosis. Her right lower extremity radiculopathy met the criteria for a 20% rating as of June 25, 2009.
- Claimed conditions
- Back disability, Right lower extremity radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- March 8, 2016
- Citation
- 1609271
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 1609271.
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 claim for service connection of a back disability, finding that there was no evidence to support a nexus between his current condition and active duty service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for a back disability due to incomplete service records and failure to consider all available evidence, including in-service treatment records from F.E. Warren Air Force Base.
- Denied
The Veteran's right lower extremity radiculopathy was evaluated at a 20 percent rating, and the Board found that it did not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation.
- Granted
The Veteran's rating for residuals status post lumbar fusion was reduced from 40 percent to 20 percent effective October 25, 2023. The reduction was granted as there was no evidence of actual improvement in the Veteran's condition prior to this date.
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