The Board granted an effective date of September 23, 2021, for the award of a 40 percent rating for the Veteran's lumbar spine disability and a 10 percent rating for his right lower extremity femoral radiculopathy.
The deciding factor: The evidence showed that entitlement to the benefits arose at the time of the claim, but there was no increase in severity factually ascertainable within a year prior to the claim.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spine scoliosis with intervertebral disc syndrome, degenerative disc disease, and annular fissure (lumbar spine disability), right lower extremity femoral radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- July 7, 2025
- Citation
- A25058028
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,604 · Granted: 65% (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 A25058028.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy as secondary to her back disability was granted with effective dates of January 4, 2024.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for right lower extremity sciatic radiculopathy is dismissed as the issue was previously adjudicated on the merits in December 2023 and no new evidence or arguments have been presented.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for effective dates earlier than August 15, 2016, for service connection of bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy (femoral and sciatic). The VA must obtain missing VistA records from non-VA providers through the Community Care Network.
- Granted
The Veteran was granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) from August 7, 2012 to February 8, 2025 due to his service-connected disabilities. He was also granted basic eligibility to Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) benefits for the same period.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.