The Board denied the Veteran's claims for an effective date earlier than November 7, 2016 for the awards of service connection for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy of the femoral nerve due to a lack of contemporaneous evidence of such prior to that date.
The deciding factor: The Board found no contemporaneous evidence of record documenting a diagnosis or symptoms of left and/or right lower extremity radiculopathy prior to November 7, 2016.
- Claimed conditions
- left lower extremity radiculopathy of the femoral nerve, right lower extremity radiculopathy of the femoral nerve
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 23, 2024
- Citation
- 24034646
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 24034646.
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.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed all issues on appeal as the May 2024 rating decision was a purely ministerial implementation of the April 2024 Board decision.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's cervical and lumbar spine disabilities, as well as their associated radiculopathy conditions, are remanded for further development. The fibromyalgia with headaches claim is also remanded due to a duty to assist error.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for left lower extremity radiculopathy of the sciatic and femoral nerves as of September 13, 2019. The effective date was set based on the Veteran's credible statements and medical records showing bilateral leg pain prior to his claim.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found that there is a pre-decisional duty to assist error in the lumbar spine and radiculopathy claims, requiring remand. The TDIU claim is also being remanded as it is inextricably intertwined with the increased disability ratings.
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