The Veteran's initial ratings for lumbar spine disability, radiculopathy of the right and left sciatic nerves, and radiculopathy of the right and left femoral nerves were denied. The reductions in rating from 20% to 10% or 0% effective August 1, 2018, were found to be improper.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not show improvement in the Veteran's conditions that would warrant a higher initial rating.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spine disability, radiculopathy of the right sciatic nerve, radiculopathy of the left sciatic nerve, radiculopathy of the right femoral nerve, radiculopathy of the left femoral nerve
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 8, 2018
- Citation
- 18124681
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 18124681.
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 service connection for a lumbar spine disability, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and right lower extremity radiculopathy as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the claims for miscarriage, cervical spine disability, lumbar spine disability, and right elbow disability due to insufficient examination opinions and incomplete service history verification.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the Veteran's claims for service connection for left knee disability, right knee disability, lumbar spine disability, and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as these issues have been addressed in a separate docket.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus. Service connection is being remanded for the lumbar spine disability and right knee and calf disabilities.
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