The Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine is rated at 20 percent, which does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.,The Veteran's radiculopathy of the left lower extremity is rated at 20 percent, which meets the criteria for an increased initial rating to 40 percent prior to July 10, 2019 and remains at 20 percent thereafter.,The Veteran's radiculopathy of the right lower extremity is rated at 20 percent, which meets the criteria for an increased initial rating to 40 percent prior to July 10, 2019 and remains at 20 percent thereafter.,The Veteran's chronic left hip strain (flexion) is not service-connected and thus does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.,The Veteran's left hip strain (extension) is rated at noncompensable (0 percent), which meets the criteria for an initial compensable rating.,The Veteran's left hip strain (impairment of thigh) is rated at noncompensable (0 percent), which meets the criteria for an initial compensable rating.,PTSD was granted service connection effective September 20, 2017 and does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The deciding factor: The Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine did not demonstrate forward flexion limited to 30 degrees or less or favorable ankylosis of the entire thoracolumbar spine, even considering functional limitation factors.,Prior to July 10, 2019, when resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran, his radiculopathy of the right lower extremity was shown to be manifested by 'moderate' incomplete paralysis. The criteria for a higher rating were not met as it did not meet the definition of moderate incomplete paralysis.,The Veteran's radiculopathy of the left lower extremity was shown to be manifested by no worse than 'moderate' incomplete paralysis, which meets the criteria for an increased initial rating to 40 percent prior to July 10, 2019 and remains at 20 percent thereafter.,The Veteran's radiculopathy of the right lower extremity was shown to be manifested by no worse than 'moderate' incomplete paralysis, which meets the criteria for an increased initial rating to 40 percent prior to July 10, 2019 and remains at 20 percent thereafter.,The Veteran's chronic left hip strain (flexion) did not demonstrate flexion limited to 30 degrees or less, even considering functional limitation factors. The criteria for a higher rating were not met as it did not meet the definition of flexion limited to 30 degrees or less.,The Veteran's left hip strain (extension) was shown to be manifested by no worse than noncompensable degree of impairment, which meets the criteria for an initial compensable rating.,The Veteran's left hip strain (impairment of thigh) was shown to be manifested by no worse than noncompensable degree of impairment, which meets the criteria for an initial compensable rating.,PTSD did not meet the criteria for a higher rating as it demonstrated occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity but did not demonstrate more severe impairment.

Claimed conditions

Degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, Radiculopathy of the left lower extremity, Radiculopathy of the right lower extremity, Chronic left hip strain (flexion), Left hip strain (extension), Left hip strain (impairment of thigh), Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

How they argued it

Direct service connection

Exposure basis

None

Rating assigned

20%

Decision date

October 2, 2024

Citation

A24062946

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 A24062946.