The Veteran's lumbar spine disability was rated at 10 percent prior to April 12, 2012 and at 20 percent thereafter. The rating for radiculopathy of the left lower extremity is also 20 percent.,An effective date earlier than March 15, 2016 for the grant of service connection for radiculopathy of the left lower extremity was denied.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's lumbar spine disability did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under either the old or new VA Rating Schedule due to the severity and nature of his symptoms.,The effective date for service connection for radiculopathy of the left lower extremity was determined to be March 15, 2016.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Joint Disease of the Lumbar Spine, Radiculopathy of the Left Lower Extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- September 11, 2018
- Citation
- 18133515
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 18133515.
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.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the appeals for discontinuance of TDIU, reduction of disability rating for acquired psychiatric disorder, and reduction of disability rating for radiculopathy of the left lower extremity due to lack of response from the Veteran within the required timeframe.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for an increased rating in excess of 20 percent for degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine is denied.,The Veteran's claim for an initial increased rating in excess of 10 percent for right knee degenerative arthritis is remanded due to inadequate examination report.
- Granted
The reduction of the Veteran's lumbar spine and cervical spine disability ratings from 40% to 20% was improper, and the prior ratings are restored.
- Denied
The Board found that the evidence did not show an actual improvement in the Veteran's conditions, and thus denied the reduction requests for his service-connected disabilities.
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