The Board denied separate ratings for right and left leg sciatica, finding that the Veteran's symptoms were consistent with lumbar radiculopathy only.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations did not find any distinct neurological symptoms for the right and left legs that are separate from the thoracolumbar spine disability.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease of thoracolumbar spine, Sciatica
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 31, 2017
- Citation
- 1719177
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 1719177.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted initial ratings of 40 percent for sciatica of the right and left lower extremities, effective from the date of the January 2021 rating decision.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for GERD, lumbar spine disability, sciatica, and ED, as well as a TDIU prior to April 5, 2021, due to inadequate medical opinions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for a low back disability rating in excess of 20 percent, service connection for sciatica as secondary to the low back disability, and service connection for a right knee disability due to inadequate medical examinations.
- Partly granted
The Board denied an increased rating for PTSD, granted a TDIU from December 3, 2020, and denied service connection for various conditions.
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