The Board remands the claims for an earlier effective date for service connection for radiculopathy of various nerves in the lower extremities, as the evidence is conflicting regarding when entitlement to service connection arose.
The deciding factor: There is a conflict in the evidence as to when the Veteran's lower extremity radiculopathies were first present (i.e., as to when entitlement first arose).
- Claimed conditions
- Radiculopathy of the left lower extremity, sciatic nerve, Radiculopathy of the right lower extremity, sciatic nerve, Radiculopathy of the left lower extremity, femoral nerve, Radiculopathy of the right lower extremity, femoral nerve, Radiculopathy of the left lower extremity, external cutaneous nerve of the thigh, Radiculopathy of the right lower extremity, external cutaneous nerve of the thigh, Radiculopathy of the left lower extremity, ilio-inguinal nerve, Radiculopathy of the right lower extremity, ilio-inguinal nerve, Radiculopathy of the left lower extremity, obturator nerve, Radiculopathy of the right lower extremity, obturator nerve
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 10, 2025
- Citation
- A25033452
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,757 · Granted: 23% (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 A25033452.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied. The low back disability was granted a 40 percent rating, but no higher. Other conditions had their ratings denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for an initial disability rating greater than 10 percent for radiculopathy of the right and left lower extremities, sciatic nerve, to obtain a new VA examination to assess the current severity of the Veteran's conditions.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for radiculopathy of the bilateral lower extremities, finding that the evidence did not support a rating in excess of 20 percent.
- Granted
The Board granted an initial 20 percent disability rating for radiculopathy of the left and right lower extremities, sciatic nerve, effective April 14, 2022.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.