The Veteran's appeal was denied as his back disability did not warrant a rating in excess of 60 percent, and he was also denied SMC based on the need for aid and attendance due to non-service-connected conditions.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not show ankylosis or other functional loss that would justify a higher rating. The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not necessitate regular aid and assistance from another person.
- Claimed conditions
- Back disability, Sciatic radiculopathy, Left lower femoral radiculopathy, Right lower radiculopathy of the sciatic and femoral nerves, Left lower radiculopathy of the obturator nerve, Right lower radiculopathy of the ilio-inguinal nerve
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 60%
- Decision date
- January 29, 2020
- Citation
- 20007695
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,948 · Granted: 29% (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 20007695.
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 Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of a back disability, finding that there was no evidence to support a nexus between his current condition and active duty service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for a back disability due to incomplete service records and failure to consider all available evidence, including in-service treatment records from F.E. Warren Air Force Base.
- Granted
The Veteran's rating for residuals status post lumbar fusion was reduced from 40 percent to 20 percent effective October 25, 2023. The reduction was granted as there was no evidence of actual improvement in the Veteran's condition prior to this date.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for a back disability is being remanded due to duty-to-assist errors and the need for a VA examination.
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