The Board denied earlier effective dates for service connection of right and left lower extremity radiculopathy, femoral and sciatic nerves, as these disabilities were granted secondary to the Veteran's lumbar spine disability, which was not service-connected prior to June 5, 2023.
The deciding factor: The effective date cannot be earlier than the date of entitlement, which in this case is the date the lumbar spine disability was service-connected (June 5, 2023).
- Claimed conditions
- right lower extremity radiculopathy, femoral nerve, left lower extremity radiculopathy, femoral nerve, right lower extremity radiculopathy, sciatic nerve, left lower extremity radiculopathy, sciatic nerve
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 17, 2025
- Citation
- A25053323
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,011 · Granted: 24% (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 A25053323.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeal for service connection of a right ankle disorder.,The Board denied the Veteran's request for an earlier effective date for his service connection for gastroenteritis, lumbosacral strain, left lower extremity radiculopathy, right lower extremity radiculopathy, left ankle lateral collateral ligament strain, right knee strain and hemorrhoids. The earliest effective date is December 5, 2018.,The Board denied the Veteran's request for an earlier effective date for his service connection of a lumbosacral strain. The earliest effective date is December 5, 2018.,The Board denied the Veteran's request for an earlier effective date for his service connection of left lower extremity radiculopathy, sciatic nerve. The earliest effective date is December 5, 2018.,The Board denied the Veteran's request for an earlier effective date for his service connection of right lower extremity radiculopathy, sciatic nerve. The earliest effective date is December 5, 2018.,The Board denied the Veteran's request for an earlier effective date for his service connection of a left ankle lateral collateral ligament strain. The earliest effective date is December 5, 2018.,The Board denied the Veteran's request for an earlier effective date for his service connection of right knee strain. The earliest effective date is December 5, 2018.,The Board denied the Veteran's request for an earlier effective date for his service connection of hemorrhoids. The earliest effective date is December 5, 2018.
- Granted
The Veteran's left and right lower extremity radiculopathy, sciatic nerve, were granted a 40 percent evaluation each. Additionally, the Veteran was granted TDIU based on his service-connected disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection and increased rating for various conditions, including allergic rhinitis, sleep apnea, degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, lower extremity radiculopathies, and left lower extremity radiculopathy with foot drop. The issues include determining if these conditions are related to service or other factors.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for a higher rating for lumbosacral strain with intervertebral disc syndrome, bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, and left lower extremity radiculopathy due to procedural errors in obtaining private medical records.
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