The Board granted earlier effective dates for the grant of service connection for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy (femoral and sciatic nerves) but denied earlier effective dates for upper extremity radiculopathy, cervical strain, DEA benefits, and a higher disability rating for lumbar spine spinal stenosis with intervertebral disc syndrome.
The deciding factor: The Board resolved reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran regarding the intent to file on August 2, 2018, which led to the grant of service connection. However, the earliest effective date under the law for other claims was not met due to lack of evidence or earlier filing.
- Claimed conditions
- left lower extremity radiculopathy (femoral nerve), right lower extremity radiculopathy (femoral nerve), left lower extremity radiculopathy (sciatic nerve), right lower extremity radiculopathy (sciatic nerve), cervical strain, bilateral upper extremity radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 4, 2025
- Citation
- A25010114
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 705 · Granted: 38% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 A25010114.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to inadequate VA examinations and a pre-decisional duty to assist error. Additional development is needed for service connection of carpal tunnel syndrome, increased ratings for lower extremity radiculopathies, and obtaining a VA TERA opinion.
- Granted
The Veteran's service connection claims for various conditions were granted effective from July 1, 2020.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for service connection were dismissed due to a procedural defect in filing the claims on the correct form.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for migraine headaches and cervical strain due to a duty to assist error. The AOJ failed to obtain VA medical opinions addressing the etiology of these disabilities.
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