The Board granted an earlier effective date of February 16, 2002, for the award of service connection for left lower extremity radiculopathy, sciatic nerve and femoral nerve but denied earlier effective dates for other conditions.
The deciding factor: The evidence at the time of the April 2002 rating decision clearly noted associated left lower extremity radicular symptoms with the Veteran's back condition, warranting a separate compensable rating. The AOJ erred in failing to award this rating.
- Claimed conditions
- Low back strain, Left lower extremity radiculopathy, sciatic nerve, Right lower extremity radiculopathy, sciatic nerve, Left lower extremity radiculopathy, femoral nerve, Right lower extremity radiculopathy, femoral nerve
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- June 11, 2025
- Citation
- A25051520
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,249 · Granted: 37% (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 A25051520.
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 Veteran's hearing loss and low back strain claims are remanded for further evaluation. The hearing loss claim is denied, while the low back strain claim requires additional examination to determine its severity.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for low back strain, left shoulder, and supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) based on evidence showing a causal relationship to in-service events or injuries.
- Denied
The Veteran's right lower extremity radiculopathy, sciatic nerve associated with unstable back syndrome with degenerative changes (to include spinal stenosis, intervertebral disc syndrome) is currently rated at 10 percent.,The Veteran's left lower extremity radiculopathy, sciatic nerve associated with unstable back syndrome with degenerative changes (to include spinal stenosis, intervertebral disc syndrome) is currently rated at 10 percent.
- Dismissed
The appeal is dismissed because the March 2020 rating decision, which granted service connection for a low back strain, was never issued and therefore not an appealable decision.
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