The Board granted an earlier effective date of September 10, 2012, for the grant of service connection for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy but denied a higher initial rating for left lower extremity radiculopathy since March 7, 2019.
The deciding factor: The evidence was in approximate balance as to whether the bilateral lower extremity radiculopathies were present at the time of the Veteran's September 10, 2012, application for an increased rating for his service-connected back disability, warranting a grant of earlier effective dates. However, since March 7, 2019, the evidence did not demonstrate symptoms indicative of moderately severe incomplete paralysis required for a higher initial rating.
- Claimed conditions
- left lower extremity (LLE) radiculopathy, right lower extremity (RLE) radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- April 24, 2025
- Citation
- A25037657
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 20 percent disability rating for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy from April 3, 2023 onward, but denied higher ratings prior to that date. Service connection was also granted for alcohol use disorder as secondary to PTSD with traumatic brain injury.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issues of entitlement to increased ratings for lumbar spine degenerative disc disease with intervertebral disc syndrome, left and right lower extremity radiculopathy, as well as special monthly compensation and total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied restoration of the 20 percent ratings for cervical spine strain, thoracolumbar strain, and right lower extremity radiculopathy due to improvement in the disabilities under ordinary conditions of life and work.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the claims for earlier effective dates for entitlement to service connection for left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome with tendinitis, lumbar spondylolisthesis and spondylosis, left lower extremity (LLE) radiculopathy, and allergic rhinitis.
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