The Veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied as his lumbar spine disability and associated radiculopathy did not meet the criteria for higher ratings under VA rating criteria.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not show that the Veteran’s conditions met or approximated the criteria for a higher rating, including unfavorable ankylosis of the entire thoracolumbar spine or incapacitating episodes of intervertebral disc syndrome totaling at least six weeks over a 12-month period.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spine disability, sciatic radiculopathy of the left lower extremity, sciatic radiculopathy of the right lower extremity, femoral radiculopathy of the left lower extremity, femoral radiculopathy of the right lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 23, 2020
- Citation
- 20062599
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 20062599.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a lumbar spine disability, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and right lower extremity radiculopathy as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the claims for miscarriage, cervical spine disability, lumbar spine disability, and right elbow disability due to insufficient examination opinions and incomplete service history verification.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the Veteran's claims for service connection for left knee disability, right knee disability, lumbar spine disability, and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as these issues have been addressed in a separate docket.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus. Service connection is being remanded for the lumbar spine disability and right knee and calf disabilities.
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