The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for degenerative disc disease at L4-L5 and radiculopathy of the sciatic and femoral nerves was granted, with specific ratings assigned. The Veteran also received a TDIU determination prior to December 23, 2016.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran's conditions met the criteria for the assigned ratings based on the severity of his symptoms and functional impairment.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease at L4-L5, Radiculopathy, sciatic nerve, left lower extremity, Radiculopathy, sciatic nerve, right lower extremity, Radiculopathy, femoral nerve, left lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- October 8, 2021
- Citation
- 21062572
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,084 · Granted: 20% (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 21062572.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an initial disability rating of 20 percent for radiculopathy, sciatic nerve, left and right lower extremities. The claim for a compensable rating prior to October 17, 2019, for migraine headaches was denied, as were the claims for TDIU due solely to the effects of migraine headaches.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for a VA Peripheral Nerves examination to determine the nature, extent, and severity of the Veteran's service-connected left and right lower extremity femoral radiculopathy.
- Granted
The Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine with IVDS, radiculopathy, sciatic nerve, right lower extremity, and PTSD, unspecified depressive disorder, and other specified depressive disorder are all granted as service-connected.,PTSD is linked to in-service stressors, while the other conditions have been granted on a direct basis.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that additional examinations are needed to assess the current severity of the Veteran's service-connected disabilities and to determine if they are related to his military service. The case is being remanded for these purposes.
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