The Board granted an effective date of July 6, 2017 for the award of service connection for right and left lower extremity sciatic radiculopathy and a 40 percent rating from that date for lumbar spine degenerative disc disease with spondylosis and central canal stenosis.

The deciding factor: The evidence showed that the Veteran experienced bilateral lower extremity neurological disability related to his service-connected back disability dating back to at least July 6, 2017, supporting an earlier effective date for these conditions.

Claimed conditions

right lower extremity sciatic radiculopathy, left lower extremity sciatic radiculopathy, pain in surgical scars, lumbar spine, surgical scars of the lumbar spine, lumbar spine degenerative disc disease with spondylosis and central canal stenosis

How they argued it

Direct service connection

Exposure basis

None

Rating assigned

40%

Decision date

October 6, 2025

Citation

A25085967

Want to see how appeals like this one tend to go? Appeals like mine