Effective April 2, 2009, and no earlier, service connection is granted for radiculopathy of the right lower extremity. Effective April 2, 2009, and no earlier, service connection is granted for radiculopathy of the left lower extremity. Service connection is granted for a cervical spine disorder to include as secondary to the service-connected lumbar spine disability.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran's radiculopathy of the right and left lower extremities were diagnosed in April 2009, which predates his September 20, 2016 rating decision. The cervical spine disorder was also found to be related to service due to aggravation from a pre-existing injury.
- Claimed conditions
- Radiculopathy of the right lower extremity, Radiculopathy of the left lower extremity, Cervical spine disorder
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- December 2, 2019
- Citation
- 19190470
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 19190470.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board denied an increased rating for allergic rhinitis and remanded the claims for cervical spine, hip, thigh, and hip extension disorders for further development.
- Partly granted
The appeal was denied for service connection of a cervical spine disorder, and several claims were remanded for further development.
- Partly granted
The Board denied an initial rating higher than 10 percent for residual scars from basal cell carcinoma and remanded the claim for service connection for a cervical spine disorder.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include a mood disorder and alcohol abuse disorder, secondary to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities. The other claims for increased ratings were denied.
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