The Veteran's right lower extremity sciatica has been rated at 10 percent since January 1, 2011. The Board granted an earlier effective date of January 1, 2011 for the award of a 10 percent rating for his service-connected right lower extremity sciatica.
The deciding factor: The Veteran had right-sided sciatica for the entire period on appeal and was diagnosed with it prior to service separation. The Board found that an earlier effective date of January 1, 2011 is warranted for the 10 percent rating for his service-connected right lower extremity sciatica.
- Claimed conditions
- right lower extremity sciatica, back disability, left lower extremity sciatica
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- December 22, 2020
- Citation
- 20080617
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issue of entitlement to service connection for a back disability due to a duty to assist error, specifically regarding VA's failure to provide the Veteran with a VA examination prior to the rating decision.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for right ankle, left ankle, back disability, and other conditions as there is no evidence of a current disability related to the Veteran's military service.
- Denied
The Veteran was awarded service connection for allergic rhinitis based on the PACT Act, but an earlier effective date prior to August 10, 2022, is not warranted.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a back disability, effective immediately. The Board also granted a 10 percent rating for left knee tendonitis with patellofemoral pain syndrome and degenerative joint disease based on limitation of flexion from October 4, 2024, to the present, and a 50 percent rating for the same condition from February 5, 2025, to the present.
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