The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is currently rated at 40 percent, effective April 18, 2013. The Board denied a higher rating for this condition.,Prior to March 20, 2019, the Veteran's radiculopathy of the right lower extremity was rated at 10 percent. The Board found that a higher rating is not warranted based on the evidence provided.,Prior to March 20, 2019, the Veteran's radiculopathy of the left lower extremity was also rated at 10 percent. The Board found that a higher rating is not warranted based on the evidence provided.,From March 20, 2019, the Veteran's radiculopathy of the right lower extremity has been rated at 40 percent. The Board found that this rating is appropriate given the severity of his symptoms.,From March 20, 2019, the Veteran's radiculopathy of the left lower extremity has also been rated at 40 percent. The Board found that this rating is appropriate based on the severity of his symptoms.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating in any of these cases.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spine, radiculopathy, right lower extremity, radiculopathy, left lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 16, 2020
- Citation
- 20041039
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 20041039.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for tinnitus, lower back condition, radiculopathy of the right and left lower extremities, and bilateral hearing loss.,There is no evidence linking these conditions to service.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed all appeal issues as the Veteran withdrew his appeals prior to a decision being made.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for thoracolumbar spine and secondary service connection for radiculopathy of the right and left lower extremities, finding that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether these conditions are related to the Veteran's active-duty service.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal for increased rating claims for lumbar spine and bilateral knee disabilities, so the case is dismissed.
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