The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for radiculopathy of the right lower extremity and a rating in excess of 20 percent for his back disability, finding that there was no current diagnosis of radiculopathy of the right lower extremity and concluding that the preponderance of evidence did not support an unfavorable ankylosis of the entire spine.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of radiculopathy of the right lower extremity, and concluded that there was no evidence to warrant a higher rating for his back disability based on unfavorable ankylosis of the entire spine.
- Claimed conditions
- radiculopathy of the right lower extremity, sciatic nerve paralysis
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- December 17, 2019
- Citation
- 19194328
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 3,319 · Granted: 25% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19194328.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Board has dismissed all service connection claims and rating determinations due to the Veteran's withdrawal of his appeal.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for low back disability and radiculopathy of the bilateral lower extremities due to a failure to provide adequate reasons or bases in the November 2024 decision as to whether the pre-decisional duty to assist had been satisfied.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the AOJ's decision denying eligibility for the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC) is not supported by adequate reasoning and must be remanded to allow for a thorough review, including obtaining medical opinions on whether it is in the best interest of the Veteran to participate in the PCAFC program.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for radiculopathy of the right and left lower extremities due to conflicting information in the VA-contracted examination report, which requires clarification on the current severity of the service-connected disabilities without considering diabetic neuropathy. The Veteran is not service-connected for diabetic neuropathy.
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