The Board has restored a 20 percent rating for sciatic nerve radiculopathy of the right lower extremity, effective December 22, 2016. The reduction from 20 percent to 10 percent was improper due to lack of improvement in the Veteran's condition under ordinary conditions of life and work.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not show actual improvement in the impact of the Veteran’s disability under ordinary conditions of life and work, despite consistent reports of symptoms throughout the appeal period.
- Claimed conditions
- sciatic nerve radiculopathy of the right lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- November 15, 2018
- Citation
- 18150800
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 18150800.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's TDIU claim is being remanded due to a failure to obtain relevant VA medical records from the San Juan VA Medical Center. The Veteran meets the schedular threshold for TDIU based on his service-connected disabilities and combined rating of 70 percent.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to inadequate examination and duty to assist error. The Veteran's back disability is being examined again to determine if it was aggravated by his service-connected lower extremity disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that new and relevant evidence has been received to warrant readjudication of the Veteran's claims for higher ratings in several service-connected conditions. The issues are being remanded for further development, including additional examinations.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 40 percent evaluation for sciatic nerve radiculopathy of the right and left lower extremities, a 30 percent evaluation for femoral nerve radiculopathy of the right and left lower extremities, and a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU), but denied an increased evaluation in excess of 40 percent for spinal stenosis and lumbar intervertebral disc syndrome.
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