The Veteran's service-connected sciatica of the right lower extremity is currently rated at 20 percent, and her lumbosacral spine disability prior to February 22, 2020, and thereafter, is rated at 40 percent.,The preponderance of evidence does not support a higher rating for either condition.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service-connected sciatica of the right lower extremity is manifested by complaints of deep pain in the right sciatic area and moderate intermittent pain, which supports the current 20 percent rating.,For her lumbosacral spine disability prior to February 22, 2020, the Veteran's physical findings show complaints of flare-ups of low back pain with extreme low back pain on motion and at rest, and forward flexion to 45 degrees with pain. These findings support the current 40 percent rating.
- Claimed conditions
- sciatica of the right lower extremity, lumbosacral spine disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 4, 2020
- Citation
- 20031259
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 20031259.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for a disability rating in excess of 20 percent for his lumbosacral spine disability and for TDIU based on that condition due to inadequate examination. The case is being returned for further development.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a lumbosacral spine disability, finding that there is no evidence to support a link between the condition and active duty service or any other factor.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's sleep apnea is being remanded for a VA examination to determine if it is proximately due to or has undergone any incremental increase in disability due to his service-connected mental health, back, and shoulder disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU are remanded due to a duty-to-assist error in the previous VA examination, which did not discount the ameliorative effects of her pain medication. The case is also remanded for consideration of TDIU as part of the evaluation of her back disability.
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