The Veteran's claim for higher ratings for his thoracolumbar spine intervertebral disc syndrome and sciatic nerve involvement of the left and right legs was denied.,The Veteran is not entitled to a rating higher than 40 percent for orthopedic manifestations of thoracolumbar spine IVDS, as there are no findings of unfavorable ankylosis or incapacitating episodes.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence of unfavorable ankylosis of the entire thoracolumbar spine and the Veteran's range of motion findings do not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
- Claimed conditions
- Thoracolumbar spine intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS), Sciatic nerve involvement of the left leg, Sciatic nerve involvement of the right leg
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- October 31, 2018
- Citation
- 18146165
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 18146165.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied a disability rating in excess of 20 percent for the Veteran's service-connected thoracolumbar spine intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS), finding that his forward flexion did not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for her right shoulder, left shoulder, and thoracolumbar spine intervertebral disc syndrome are being remanded due to inadequate VA examinations conducted in August 2021. The VA will obtain additional medical opinions regarding the severity of these conditions prior to decision.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected thoracolumbar spine IVDS and degenerative arthritis, right lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy, left lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy, femoral radiculopathy of the right and left lower extremities, and PTSD with dysthymia have been granted. The Veteran's service-connected thoracolumbar spine IVDS and degenerative arthritis are rated at 40 percent from March 17, 2020.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for an earlier effective date for tension headaches and a higher rating for thoracolumbar spine IVDS, finding that the evidence did not support granting either claim.
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