The Veteran's appeal is for an initial rating greater than 10 percent for radiculopathy of the left and right lower extremities. The Board has determined that the femoral nerve radiculopathy claim should be considered in conjunction with the sciatic nerve radiculopathy claim due to their interrelated nature.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's radiculopathy is intertwined with both the sciatic and femoral nerves, making it difficult to distinguish between the two for rating purposes.
- Claimed conditions
- radiculopathy of the left lower extremity (sciatic nerve), radiculopathy of the right lower extremity (sciatic nerve), radiation radiculopathy of the femoral nerves (bilaterally)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 2, 2018
- Citation
- 18140007
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 18140007.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The appeal for an earlier effective date for the award of service connection for lumbosacral strain and related conditions was dismissed due to a procedural defect in the filing.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for a higher disability rating for left lower extremity radiculopathy, left ankle scars, and residuals of a left ankle fracture status post-surgical repair.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a rating of 40 percent for radiculopathy of the left lower extremity (sciatic nerve) but denied service connection and increased ratings for other conditions.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for higher ratings and special monthly compensation based on the evidence provided.
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