The Veteran's increased rating for arthritis of the lumbar spine is denied.,Rating in excess of 10 percent for right lower extremity radiculopathy prior to May 16, 2017 and in excess of 20 percent thereafter is denied.,Compensable rating for right lower extremity radiculopathy (femoral nerve) prior to December 12, 2016 and in excess of 30 percent thereafter is denied.,Compensable rating for left lower extremity radiculopathy (femoral nerve) prior to October 27, 2020 and in excess of 20 percent thereafter is denied.,The Veteran's entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities is granted.
The deciding factor: The criteria for a higher rating for the lumbar spine disability are not met as there was no evidence of unfavorable ankylosis or incapacitating episodes.,The criteria for a higher rating for right lower extremity radiculopathy prior to May 16, 2017 and in excess of 20 percent thereafter are not met due to the current severity of symptoms.,The criteria for a higher rating for right lower extremity femoral nerve radiculopathy prior to December 12, 2016 and in excess of 30 percent thereafter are not met due to the current severity of symptoms.,The criteria for a higher rating for left lower extremity femoral nerve radiculopathy prior to October 27, 2020 and in excess of 20 percent thereafter are not met due to the current severity of symptoms.,The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevented him from obtaining or maintaining a substantially gainful occupation.
- Claimed conditions
- Arthritis of the lumbar spine, Right lower extremity radiculopathy (sciatic nerve), Left lower extremity radiculopathy (sciatic nerve), Right lower extremity radiculopathy (femoral nerve), Left lower extremity radiculopathy (femoral nerve)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 30, 2021
- Citation
- 21026259
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 21026259.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's arthritis of the lumbar spine was not shown as chronic in service and did not manifest to a compensable degree within the applicable presumptive period. Continuity of symptomatology is not established, and the disability is not otherwise etiologically related to an in-service injury or disease.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for arthritis of the lumbar spine was denied as her disability did not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation under VA's rating schedule.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for arthritis of the lumbar spine, right ankle, left ankle, and left foot on a presumptive basis due to continuous symptoms since service separation.
- Denied
The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings and effective dates was denied. The decision specifically addressed the issue of an increased rating for PTSD, which was found not to meet the criteria for a higher disability rating.
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