The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and effective dates have been denied. The appeals are remanded for further development.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not support earlier effective dates or higher ratings based on the current medical findings and service connection is determined to be direct rather than through a presumption of exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- Left Lower Extremity Femoral Radiculopathy, Right Lower Extremity Femoral Radiculopathy, Left Lower Extremity Sciatic Radiculopathy, Right Lower Extremity Sciatic Radiculopathy, Left Ankle Strain, Right Ankle Residuals of Recurrent Inversion Injury
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- December 13, 2018
- Citation
- 18157878
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 18157878.
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
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- Granted
The Veteran is granted a TDIU from October 12, 2016 to November 12, 2018 and from January 1, 2019 to July 22, 2019 due to service-connected disabilities preventing him from securing or following any substantially gainful occupation.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted SMC based on the need for aid and attendance at the 38 U.S.C. � 1114(n 1/2) rate, but no higher, prior to January 25, 2019 and from March 1, 2019, due to his service-connected depressive disorder alone causing him to be in need of regular aid and attendance.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of a left ankle disability, finding that there was no evidence of an in-service injury or chronic condition and noting the lack of credible lay statements regarding continuous symptoms since service.
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