The Veteran's claims for higher ratings and earlier effective dates have been denied. The effective date of the service connection awards is set at December 20, 2013.
The deciding factor: There was no evidence of an increase in disability prior to the claim being filed on December 20, 2013.
- Claimed conditions
- Right leg radiculopathy (sciatic nerve), Left leg radiculopathy (sciatic nerve), Degenerative disc disease at L3-L4 and L4-5 with herniated disc at L4-5 with intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS) (back disability)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- July 10, 2023
- Citation
- 23037990
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 23037990.
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 Veteran's right and left leg radiculopathy (sciatic nerve) are granted a 40 percent rating, effective June 4, 2013.
- Denied
The Veteran's degenerative disc disease of the thoracolumbar spine is rated at 20 percent, but the Board finds no evidence to warrant a higher rating.,The Veteran's right leg radiculopathy (sciatic nerve) is rated at 20 percent, and the Board finds no evidence to warrant a higher rating.,Prior to December 16, 2016, the Veteran's left leg radiculopathy (sciatic nerve) was rated at 10 percent. The Board finds no evidence to warrant a higher rating.,Beginning December 16, 2016, the Veteran's left leg radiculopathy (sciatic nerve) is rated at 20 percent and the Board finds no evidence to warrant a higher rating.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's GERD is rated at a 10 percent disability rating, which is the maximum available under current regulations.,Service connection for bronchitis has been reopened and granted based on new evidence.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
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