The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for lumbosacral strain, right lower extremity radiculopathy, sciatic nerve, right knee strain, and right knee instability.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not demonstrate that the Veteran's lumbar spine disability warranted a higher rating, as forward flexion was limited to 40 degrees or less during flare-ups, but never to 30 degrees or less. The radiculopathy and knee conditions were also found to be non-compensable.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbosacral strain, right lower extremity radiculopathy, sciatic nerve, right knee strain, right knee instability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 21, 2025
- Citation
- A25026554
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for left knee strain, right knee strain, right wrist strain, and TBI. The Veteran's PTSD rating was remanded for further development.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for lumbosacral strain, finding that the Veteran's low back injury occurred during a period of active duty for training (ADT) and continued therefrom.
- Partly granted
The Board denied earlier effective dates for the grant of service connection and granted initial 40 percent ratings for left upper extremity CTS, right lower extremity radiculopathy, and left lower extremity radiculopathy.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 20 percent rating for right leg sciatica with radiculopathy pain and paresthesia, but denied increased ratings for PTSD, lumbosacral strain, left wrist limitation of motion with ganglion cyst, and service connection for headaches, unspecified. Several issues were remanded.
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