The Board denied earlier effective dates for service connection of lower extremity radiculopathy, finding no statutory or regulatory authority to support an earlier date.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's statements and the evidence did not provide a clear indication that the radicular symptoms arose prior to January 25, 2021.
- Claimed conditions
- Impairment of left sciatic nerve, Impairment of left femoral nerve, Right sciatic nerve impairment, Right femoral nerve impairment
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 7, 2024
- Citation
- A24044564
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 A24044564.
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 Board granted an initial 20 percent rating for right and left sciatic nerve impairments from January 26, 2017 to February 27, 2023.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's low back strain and sciatic nerve impairments are currently rated based on their functional limitations, with no specific rating assigned for the conditions.,The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain an examination assessing the current severity of the Veteran’s lumbar radiculopathy of the right and left sciatic nerves.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for higher ratings for his sciatic nerve conditions, finding that the evidence did not support a rating in excess of 10 percent prior to October 8, 2019 and granted a 20 percent rating from that date onward.
- Denied
The Veteran's low back disability is rated at 40 percent, which is the maximum rating for limitation of motion. The right sciatic nerve impairment does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
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