The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for left lower extremity radiculopathy is granted, with the effective date set at September 14, 2006. SMC based on housebound status and need for regular aid and attendance are denied.
The deciding factor: The earliest possible effective date for the grant of service connection for left lower extremity radiculopathy was September 14, 2006, as this is when the claim was received by VA. The Veteran's radiculopathy symptoms were noted to have begun in the 1980s and her radiculopathy rating was granted secondary to her service-connected lumbar spine disability.
- Claimed conditions
- left lower extremity radiculopathy, lumbar disc disease, degenerative joint disease of the bilateral ankles, right wrist injury of the dominant hand, degenerative joint disease of the left ankle, left great toe hematoma residuals
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- December 3, 2021
- Citation
- 21072538
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 21072538.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a lumbar spine disability, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and right lower extremity radiculopathy as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine disability.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for left lower extremity radiculopathy and denied the claims for right knee disability, erectile dysfunction, GERD, sleep apnea, and hypertension. The decision is remanded for further action on these issues.
- Granted
The Board has granted earlier effective dates for the grant of service connection for middle and index trigger finger/stenosing tenosynovitis of the right hand, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and right lower extremity radiculopathy. The earliest effective date is June 30, 2012, for the right hand condition and April 22, 2016, for bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have left lower extremity radiculopathy or any related symptoms causing impairment in earning capacity during the appeal period, and therefore service connection for this condition is denied.
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