The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his low back disability was denied.,An initial rating of 40 percent, but no higher, for RLE radiculopathy of the sciatic nerve is granted effective February 21, 2012.,An initial rating of 20 percent, but no higher, for RLE radiculopathy of the femoral nerve is granted effective December 27, 2011. The claim for a higher rating prior to this date was denied.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not show unfavorable ankylosis in the Veteran's spine at any point during the appeal period.
- Claimed conditions
- Right L5 partial hemilaminectomy with LE-S1 discectomy (low back disability), RLE radiculopathy of the sciatic nerve, RLE radiculopathy of the femoral nerve
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- February 18, 2021
- Citation
- 21008869
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 21008869.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy were denied as the evidence did not show levels of impairment sufficient to increase the ratings.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have prevented him from securing or following substantial gainful employment since January 1, 2017.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for earlier effective dates and increased ratings, as well as remanded certain issues.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted a total disability rating for individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities and basic eligibility of Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) benefits as of April 12, 2016.
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