The Veteran's claim for an increased evaluation for his service-connected lumbar spine disability is denied. For the period of March 12, 2015, to February 1, 2016, the Veteran's right lower extremity femoral radiculopathy was rated at 10 percent.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not support a rating in excess of 20 percent for the lumbar spine disability due to lack of ankylosis or functional equivalent thereof. The Veteran’s symptoms do not meet criteria for ankylosis, and his range of motion is within the limits allowed by the current 20 percent evaluation.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar strain with degenerative osteoarthritis and lumbar status post fusion (lumbar spine disability), right lower extremity femoral radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- October 11, 2023
- Citation
- 23055608
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 23055608.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy as secondary to her back disability was granted with effective dates of January 4, 2024.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for right lower extremity sciatic radiculopathy is dismissed as the issue was previously adjudicated on the merits in December 2023 and no new evidence or arguments have been presented.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for effective dates earlier than August 15, 2016, for service connection of bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy (femoral and sciatic). The VA must obtain missing VistA records from non-VA providers through the Community Care Network.
- Granted
The Veteran was granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) from August 7, 2012 to February 8, 2025 due to his service-connected disabilities. He was also granted basic eligibility to Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) benefits for the same period.
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