The Veteran's right leg quad tendon repair surgery is denied as service connection, and his non-initial rating for sciatica associated with lower back condition is also denied due to lack of a causal relationship between the current symptoms and service-connected conditions.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the Veteran’s severe asymmetric sensorimotor peripheral neuropathy caused his bilateral abnormal tendon reflexes, sensory abnormalities, and weakness of all extremities, including right foot drop. The medical evidence does not support sciatica as a cause for these symptoms.
- Claimed conditions
- Right lower extremity sciatica, Asymmetric sensorimotor peripheral neuropathy of all extremities
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 23, 2020
- Citation
- 20074873
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,592 · Granted: 19% (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 20074873.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection for degenerative arthritis with lumbosacral strain, left lower extremity sciatica, and right lower extremity sciatica have been dismissed.,The Veteran's TDIU claim has been granted from September 16, 2011.,The Veteran's SMC based on housebound criteria has been granted effective from March 13, 2024.
- Granted
The Board granted restoration of a separate 10 percent rating for residuals of a TBI, and restored the 10 percent disability evaluations for left and right lower extremity sciatica, as well as granting entitlement to a TDIU.
- Granted
The Board granted an initial rating of 40 percent for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine and effective dates of May 19, 2011, for right and left lower extremity sciatica.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for TBI residuals, headaches secondary to TBI, and sciatic conditions due to a need for additional development of the record.
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