The Veteran's radiculopathy of the left lower extremity is granted at a 20 percent rating from August 12, 2014 to March 6, 2017. The right lower extremity radiculopathy remains at a 10 percent rating prior to March 7, 2017 and the lumbar spine disability is granted at a 40 percent rating from June 15, 2015.
The deciding factor: The evidence shows that the Veteran's left lower extremity radiculopathy was characterized as moderate from August 12, 2014 to March 6, 2017, warranting a 20 percent rating. The right lower extremity radiculopathy and lumbar spine disability were not shown to be more than mild.
- Claimed conditions
- Radiculopathy, Degenerative Arthritis of Lumbar Spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- February 7, 2019
- Citation
- 19109428
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 3,038 · Granted: 30% (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 19109428.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a back disability, finding that there was no evidence of chronicity or continuity of symptomatology since service and concluding that his current disabilities are more likely related to an in-service injury than to his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's radiculopathy of the left and right lower extremities, based on sciatic nerve impairment, is granted with a disability rating of 40 percent effective from March 4, 2023. The Veteran's radiculopathy of the left and right lower extremities, based on femoral nerve impairment, is also granted with a disability rating of 20 percent effective from March 4, 2023.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him so helpless as to require the regular aid and attendance of another person, meeting the criteria for special monthly compensation based on the need for regular aid and attendance.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his lumbar spine disability and TDIU due to procedural errors in the duty to assist.
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