The Board denied the veteran's claims for earlier effective dates and increased ratings for his service-connected conditions, finding no evidence to support a higher rating or an earlier effective date.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's radiculopathy left lower extremity was rated at 20 percent, which is the maximum rating under the criteria. The Board found that there was no evidence of severe paralysis or other symptoms warranting a higher rating. For the effective dates, the law does not allow for an earlier date than the date of receipt of the claim.
- Claimed conditions
- Radiculopathy, left lower extremity, Right hip strain, Left knee degenerative joint disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 12, 2025
- Citation
- A25051709
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 plantar fasciitis on the right and left foot, left and right ankle strain, left and right knee osteoarthritis, and left and right hip strain, all secondary to service-connected back and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy disabilities with weight gain/obesity as an intermediate step.
- Denied
The Board denied increased evaluations for the Veteran's service-connected conditions, finding that the current ratings accurately reflect the severity of his disabilities.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's service-connected degenerative arthritis and IVDS of the lumbar spine is granted a 40 percent rating, while other claims for increased ratings are denied or remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter of entitlement to specially adapted housing for a VA examination to determine the current severity of the Veteran's service-connected disabilities.
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