The Board denied the Veteran's appeal for an increased initial rating for left lower extremity radiculopathy (sciatic nerve), finding that his symptoms were no worse than mild incomplete paralysis.
The deciding factor: The August 2023 VA peripheral nerves examination report characterized the Veteran's condition as 'mild' and did not support a higher rating under DC 8620, which only allows for a 10 percent rating for mild incomplete paralysis.
- Claimed conditions
- left lower extremity radiculopathy (sciatic nerve)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 22, 2025
- Citation
- A25110093
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,614 · Granted: 35% (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 A25110093.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's lumbosacral strain with IVDS and associated radiculopathies of the left and right lower extremities are granted at a 40 percent rating prior to December 27, 2023, and denied for ratings in excess of this level from that date.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations for service-connected left and right lower extremity radiculopathy are being remanded due to a scheduling error.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings have been dismissed. The Board has also remanded the case to obtain VA examinations and opinions regarding the etiology of his claimed disabilities.
- Granted
An effective date of December 4, 2017, but no earlier, is granted for the grant of service connection for left lower extremity radiculopathy (femoral nerve) and left lower extremity radiculopathy (sciatic nerve). An initial evaluation higher than 20 percent for these conditions is denied.,An effective date of December 4, 2017, but no earlier, is granted for the grant of special monthly compensation (SMC) based on housebound criteria. An earlier effective date for service connection for low back disability is denied.
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