The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his lumbosacral spine disability and associated radiculopathies were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations showed no ankylosis in the thoracolumbar spine, moderate incomplete paralysis of the sciatic nerve for both lower extremities, and no additional functional loss due to pain or other factors. The Veteran's symptoms were considered stable with no significant changes since previous evaluations.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbosacral spine disability, lumbar radiculopathy of the right lower extremity, lumbar radiculopathy of the left lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- March 15, 2016
- Citation
- 1610445
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 1610445.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for a disability rating in excess of 20 percent for his lumbosacral spine disability and for TDIU based on that condition due to inadequate examination. The case is being returned for further development.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a lumbosacral spine disability, finding that there is no evidence to support a link between the condition and active duty service or any other factor.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's sleep apnea is being remanded for a VA examination to determine if it is proximately due to or has undergone any incremental increase in disability due to his service-connected mental health, back, and shoulder disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU are remanded due to a duty-to-assist error in the previous VA examination, which did not discount the ameliorative effects of her pain medication. The case is also remanded for consideration of TDIU as part of the evaluation of her back disability.
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