The Veteran's back disability and LLE radiculopathy are rated at 20 percent each, while RLE radiculopathy is rated at 10 percent. The effective date for service connection of RLE radiculopathy is denied as it was received within a year of the Veteran's separation from active duty.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not support earlier effective dates for the grant of service connection due to the claim being filed within one year of the Veteran's separation from active duty.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease and arthritis of the lower lumbar spine status post laminectomy with 3 residual scars, Left lower extremity (LLE) radiculopathy weakness, Right lower extremity (RLE) radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- January 28, 2020
- Citation
- 20006648
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,861 · Granted: 27% (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 20006648.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's initial and subsequent claims for increased ratings for his back condition, LLE radiculopathy, and RLE radiculopathy have been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 10 percent from March 12, 2014, to October 28, 2019.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including degenerative disc disease and lower extremity radiculopathy, rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation from August 1, 2013 to November 23, 2014. The Board granted TDIU for this period.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an initial rating of 20 percent for right lower extremity (RLE) radiculopathy but remanded the back disability claim for further development.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of April 10, 2015, for the grant of service connection for left lower extremity radiculopathy and granted initial ratings of 40 percent for both right and left lower extremity radiculopathy from April 10, 2015, to June 1, 2020.
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