The veteran was granted an initial disability rating of 40 percent, but no higher, from December 26, 2017, for right lower extremity (RLE) sciatica.
The deciding factor: The evidence showed that the appellant's RLE sciatica manifested with moderately severe incomplete paralysis prior to January 7, 2023, which warranted a 40 percent disability rating.
- Claimed conditions
- Right lower extremity (RLE) sciatica, Degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine with degenerative disc disease (DDD) and intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- December 16, 2025
- Citation
- 25014965
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 785 · Granted: 27% (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 25014965.
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 Board denied a disability rating in excess of 40 percent for the back disability and remanded the claim for a right lower extremity (RLE) sciatica disability rating.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied service connection for hearing loss and increased the disability rating for RLE sciatica, but remanded several other issues.,Insomnia was granted an initial 30 percent disability rating from January 17, 2023.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his cervical and lumbar spine disabilities, as well as his right lower extremity sciatica. The remand includes obtaining clarification regarding the nature of the Veteran’s IVDS episodes and any physician-prescribed bedrest due to his spinal conditions.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
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