The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his chronic low back strain was granted, with the effective date being May 1, 2015. Service connection for bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy secondary to his service-connected back disorder was also granted.
The deciding factor: The evidence is at least in equipoise that the Veteran's radiculopathy is related to his service-connected low back disability.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic low back strain, bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- October 26, 2020
- Citation
- 20069152
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The veteran withdrew the appeal for effective dates prior to September 27, 2024, for the awards of service connection for various knee and back conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for initial ratings higher than the assigned percentages for service-connected conditions, including migraine headaches, bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, lumbosacral strain, and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy.
- Partly granted
The Veteran was granted special monthly compensation (SMC) based on the need for regular aid and attendance, SMC at the M level based on loss of use of the lower extremities, and SMC at the O level based on the award of SMC L and SMC M. The claim for SMC based on housebound status was dismissed as moot.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a back disability and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, but denied service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic sinusitis, bilateral hand tremors, and bilateral restless leg syndrome. The Board also granted an increased rating of 50 percent for obstructive sleep apnea.
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