The Veteran's low back disability is rated at 20% and a separate 10% rating for radiculopathy of the left lower extremity as a neurological complication of his low back disability has been granted. The ratings for retropatellar pain syndrome of both knees and dyshidrotic eczema remain denied.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations showed that the Veteran's forward flexion was at worst 70 degrees, which does not meet the criteria for a higher rating under Diagnostic Codes 5237 or 5243. The radiculopathy of the left lower extremity is rated separately and meets the criteria for a separate 10% disability rating.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease (DDD) with paracentral disc protrusion at L5-S1, Radiculopathy of the left lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- January 31, 2019
- Citation
- 19107640
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,170 · Granted: 38% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19107640.
What this means for you
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied extraschedular ratings for the Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine and lower extremity radiculopathy disabilities, as well as a total disability rating based on individual unemployability prior to February 3, 2011.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's lumbosacral spine disability is rated at 20 percent, but the Board finds that it warrants a rating of 40 percent throughout the appeal period.,Service connection for left lower extremity radiculopathy secondary to his service-connected lumbosacral spine disability is granted. The Veteran's claim for an initial rating will be remanded for further evaluation.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal of the claims for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability and whether proposed reductions in ratings for service-connected intervertebral disc syndrome, radiculopathy of the right lower extremity, and radiculopathy of the left lower extremities were proper. The appeals are dismissed.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for TDIU, finding that his service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing or maintaining substantially gainful employment.
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