The Board denied the Veteran's claims for an earlier effective date for service connection for right and left lower extremity femoral radiculopathy, finding that entitlement arose no earlier than April 16, 2021.
The deciding factor: The first objective confirmation of lower extremity radiculopathy involving the femoral nerves was on April 16, 2021, making this the date when entitlement to service connection arose.
- Claimed conditions
- right lower extremity femoral radiculopathy, left lower extremity femoral radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 23, 2025
- Citation
- A25054024
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.
- 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for further development, including obtaining a retrospective medical opinion regarding the severity of the Veteran's service-connected conditions without the use of pain medication and securing the credentials of the VA examiners.
- Partly granted
The Board granted effective dates of October 30, 2024, for the awards of service connection and increased ratings for various disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for a higher rating for various conditions, including lumbar spine disability and peripheral neuropathies, due to an incomplete record of private treatment records.
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