The Board granted restoration of the 20 percent rating for the lumbar spine disability from August 1, 2020, up to July 14, 2022. The claims for earlier effective dates for the other conditions were denied.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not show an improvement in the Veteran's ability to function under ordinary conditions of life and work during the rating reduction period, thus the original 20 percent rating was restored. For the other conditions, there was no evidence showing that the disability met the criteria for a higher rating prior to July 14, 2022.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spine arthritis with spondylosis, spondylolisthesis, and disc degeneration, left lower extremity sciatic radiculopathy, right lower extremity sciatic radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 16, 2025
- Citation
- A25044288
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 denied a disability rating greater than 10 percent for tinnitus and a rating greater than 20 percent for lumbosacral strain, but granted a 20 percent rating for left lower extremity sciatic radiculopathy and right lower extremity sciatic radiculopathy.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for left knee strain, right knee strain, lumbosacral strain, and right lower extremity sciatic radiculopathy as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected conditions. The Board denied a rating in excess of 10 percent for residuals of right ankle fracture and a rating in excess of 60 percent for the service-connected heart condition. The Board also denied a compensable disability rating for residual scar of the anterior trunk mid sternum status post coronary artery bypass graft.
- Dismissed
The veteran withdrew all pending appeals on April 28, 2025.
- Partly granted
The Board denied earlier effective dates for the award of service connection and denied increased ratings for various disabilities, but granted a separate rating for left upper extremity radiculopathy from October 20, 2020.
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