The Veteran's back disability and sciatic radiculopathy of the left lower extremity are rated at 20 percent each, effective March 3, 2018.,The Veteran's right lower extremity sciatic radiculopathy is rated at 20 percent, effective September 3, 2016. The Veteran's right lower extremity femoral radiculopathy and left lower extremity femoral radiculopathy are both rated at 20 percent, effective March 3, 2018.
The deciding factor: The evidence showed that the Veteran’s sciatic radiculopathies of the right and left lower extremities met the criteria for a 20 percent rating under Diagnostic Codes 8520 and 8526 respectively.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease, Herniated nucleus pulposus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- January 16, 2020
- Citation
- 20003904
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to obtain and maintain substantially gainful employment, thus granting a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).
- Denied
The appeal for an increased rating for left hip, the claims for entitlement to an earlier effective date and an increased rating for right knee strain, and the appeal for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for left shoulder strain were dismissed. The claim for a 40 percent rating from June 24, 2021 for degenerative disc disease was granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a lumbar spine disability as secondary to a cervical spine disability due to an inadequate medical opinion.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a higher initial rating of 40 percent for degenerative arthritis, degenerative disc disease, lumbosacral strain, and scoliosis, but remanded the other issues.
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