The Veteran's low back disability, radiculopathy of the femoral and sciatic nerves, and depression have been granted service connection with effective dates set at October 15, 2010. The rating for his low back condition is denied as it does not meet criteria for a higher rating.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's lower spine disability manifested as no worse than forward flexion of the thoracolumbar spine to 15 degrees or the functional equivalent throughout the appeal period, which did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under the applicable diagnostic codes.
- Claimed conditions
- Low back disability, Radiculopathy of the femoral nerve of the LLE and RLE, Radiculopathy of the sciatic nerve of the LLE and RLE, Acquired psychiatric condition (depression)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- July 10, 2024
- Citation
- A24037181
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 A24037181.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a low back disability and an increased rating for his acquired psychiatric disorder. The Board found that there was no evidence linking the current disabilities to military service.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected low back disability alone does not prevent him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a low back disability and bilateral hip disability, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased disability evaluation and effective dates are being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination to address the severity of his low back disability, including whether he has experienced incapacitating episodes of IVDS.
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