The Board granted restoration of the 40 percent rating for the lumbar spine disability, effective November 1, 2023, and denied a higher rating. The claims for increased ratings for radiculopathy and TDIU were remanded.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not support an improvement in the lumbar spine disability that would warrant a reduction to 10 percent; however, a higher rating was also not supported based on the current severity of the condition. The claims for increased ratings for radiculopathy and TDIU were remanded due to insufficient evidence.
- Claimed conditions
- Lumbar Spine Disability (IVDS with Lumbar Spine Degenerative Disc Disease), Right Lower Extremity Radiculopathy, Left Lower Extremity Radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- November 17, 2025
- Citation
- A25099733
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,863 · Granted: 26% (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 A25099733.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for right and left lower extremity radiculopathy are being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his condition, without considering the ameliorative effects of any medication he uses.
- Granted
The Veteran's bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy has been granted a 30 percent disability rating since November 29, 2021.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's erectile dysfunction is likely due to his service-connected lumbar spine and radiculopathy conditions, with tramadol use possibly causing the condition by October 25, 2012. The effective date for ED will be remanded.,Due to the inextricably intertwined nature of the issues, including the need to determine if tramadol caused ED prior to August 30, 2013, the SMC issue is also remanded.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the evidence is at least in equipoise, and therefore grants service connection for Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) as secondary to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other service-connected conditions such as lumbar disc disease, right lower extremity radiculopathy, obstructive lung disease, and gastroesophageal reflux.
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