The Veteran's lumbar spine degenerative arthritis, left and right lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy, and femoral nerve radiculopathy were evaluated as 20 percent disabling from August 12, 2016, to March 18, 2019. The rating was denied due to the Veteran's inability to work in her previous employment.
The deciding factor: The Veteran’s lumbar spine degenerative arthritis and radiculopathy were rated at 20 percent disabling based on their impact on her ability to perform daily activities and work, with no evidence of ankylosis or other severe functional impairment that would warrant a higher rating.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spine degenerative arthritis, left lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy, left lower extremity femoral nerve radiculopathy, right lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy, right lower extremity femoral nerve radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- October 25, 2022
- Citation
- A22021525
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 A22021525.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for lumbar spine degenerative arthritis and DDD, as well as right and left lower extremity radiculopathy secondary to the now service-connected lumbar spine condition. The decision is based on a finding of relative equipoise in the evidence regarding whether these conditions are related to service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found the eligibility determination for PCAFC enrollment to be legally inadequate and remanded for a new medical opinion that adequately addresses the criteria for eligibility as set forth in VA regulations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that there are pre-decisional duty-to-assist errors in the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for bilateral lower extremity femoral nerve radiculopathy, and thus remands the case to obtain addendum medical opinions.
- Granted
The Veteran's left lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy was granted a disability rating of 40 percent, effective June 25, 2024. The decision found that the condition manifested with an incomplete paralysis of the sciatic nerve that was moderately severe.
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