The Board denied the Veteran's request for an earlier effective date for the award of service connection for right lower extremity radiculopathy, as there was no evidence or assertion that would reasonably raise a claim for right leg radiculopathy out of another claim that was pending at the time.
The deciding factor: The Board found that a secondary claim for service connection for right leg radiculopathy was not raised in conjunction with the prior claim for an increased rating for lumbosacral strain, and the August 2018 Board decision is final, making it ineligible as a basis for an earlier effective date.
- Claimed conditions
- right lower extremity (femoral nerve) radiculopathy, right lower extremity (sciatic nerve) radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- December 23, 2025
- Citation
- A25110207
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,913 · Granted: 30% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation A25110207.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's erectile dysfunction is granted as secondary to his service-connected hypertension. The initial rating for degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine prior to April 30, 2024, remains denied. A 10 percent rating is granted for right lower extremity (femoral nerve) radiculopathy from April 30, 2024.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for right upper extremity neuropathy, to include as secondary to a right elbow condition and denied increased ratings for the Veteran's service-connected disabilities. The Board also remanded several claims for further development.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board denied an earlier effective date for the award of service connection for right lower extremity (femoral nerve) radiculopathy and granted a 20 percent rating, but no higher, for the same condition. The Board also denied a rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD with depressive disorder, alcohol and cocaine dependence.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board granted earlier effective dates for service connection and TDIU, restored a higher rating for a back condition, and remanded several other issues.
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