The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and earlier effective dates for service connection for sciatica of the left and right lower extremities have been denied.,A 10 percent rating has been granted for bilateral hearing loss since September 23, 2016.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's symptoms did not warrant a higher disability rating under any applicable diagnostic codes. The VA examiner found mild incomplete paralysis of the sciatic nerve in both lower extremities.,The Veteran’s bilateral hearing loss has consistently manifested as 10 percent disabling throughout the entire period on appeal.
- Claimed conditions
- sciatica of the left lower extremity, sciatica of the right lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- October 29, 2019
- Citation
- A19002361
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
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board granted an initial rating of 20 percent for the Veteran's sciatica of the left lower extremity, finding that the evidence supports moderate incomplete paralysis.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for sciatica of the left lower extremity due to a need for an addendum opinion.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a disability rating of 40 percent for the right lower extremity sciatica and denied higher ratings for both left and right lower extremities, as well as service connection for incomplete paralysis of the right external popliteal nerve and TDIU.
- Granted
The Board granted an effective date of January 22, 2021, for the assignment of a 40 percent evaluation for service-connected lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis and for the award of service connection sciatica of the left lower extremity.
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