The Board granted earlier effective dates of July 29, 2017, for the grants of service connection for lumbosacral strain of the thoracolumbar spine and related conditions.
The deciding factor: The appellant's claims were not considered final due to the AOJ's failure to respond to his extension requests during a time impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbosacral strain of the thoracolumbar spine, left lower extremity (LLE) radiculopathy, sciatic, right lower extremity (RLE) radiculopathy, sciatic, left thigh, limitation of flexion, left thigh impairment, abduction, left thigh, limitation of extension
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 23, 2025
- Citation
- A25054012
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, as there was no evidence of a current disability that warranted higher ratings or service connection.
- 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issues of entitlement to increased ratings for left thigh flexion, extension, and impairment due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
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