The Board granted a 20 percent initial rating for bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, sciatic nerve and denied the claims for an earlier effective date prior to January 25, 2022, and increased ratings for unspecified depressive disorder.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's symptoms of moderate incomplete paralysis in each leg most closely approximate a 20 percent rating under DC 8520. The evidence does not support an earlier effective date or higher ratings for the depressive disorder.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, sciatic nerve, unspecified depressive disorder with unspecified anxiety disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 9, 2025
- Citation
- A25087425
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,088 · Granted: 33% (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 A25087425.
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, diagnosed as unspecified depressive disorder with unspecified anxiety disorder, based on new and relevant evidence.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal before the Board, and the claim is dismissed.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal for service connection and disability rating, resulting in the dismissal of both claims.
- Partly granted
The Board denied a rating greater than 30 percent for the Veteran's unspecified depressive disorder with unspecified anxiety disorder and remanded claims for service connection for low back pain and sleep apnea.
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