The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is rated at 10 percent prior to December 16, 2016 and at 20 percent on and after that date. The right lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy and left lower extremity femoral nerve radiculopathy are both rated at 20 percent.,The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is not entitled to a higher rating prior to December 16, 2016 or on and after that date. The right lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy and left lower extremity femoral nerve radiculopathy are both not entitled to a higher rating.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's lumbar spine disability did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under the General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine due to limited range of motion, without evidence of muscle spasm or guarding severe enough to result in an abnormal gait or spinal contour.,For the period on and after December 16, 2016, the Veteran's lumbar spine disability did not meet the criteria for a higher rating as it did not result in forward flexion of the thoracolumbar spine to 30 degrees or less or result in favorable ankylosis of the spine.,The right lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy and left lower extremity femoral nerve radiculopathy were both rated at 20 percent as they did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under the rating criteria for neuritis, characterized by loss of reflexes, muscle atrophy, sensory disturbances, and constant pain.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spine disability, sciatic nerve radiculopathy of the left lower extremity, femoral nerve radiculopathy of the left lower extremity, right lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 7, 2024
- Citation
- 24010916
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 24010916.
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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 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the claims for miscarriage, cervical spine disability, lumbar spine disability, and right elbow disability due to insufficient examination opinions and incomplete service history verification.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the Veteran's claims for service connection for left knee disability, right knee disability, lumbar spine disability, and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as these issues have been addressed in a separate docket.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus. Service connection is being remanded for the lumbar spine disability and right knee and calf disabilities.
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