The Board denied an initial rating greater than 10 percent for the Veteran's left lower extremity (LLE) lumbar radiculopathy, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating given the mild involvement of the sciatic nerve.
The deciding factor: The disability was rated under DC 8520 and found to be wholly sensory with only mild intermittent pain, paresthesias, and/or dysesthesias, which is considered 'mild' by VA examiners and treatment providers. The Veteran's radiculopathy did not result in more severe symptoms such as antalgic gait or assistive devices.
- Claimed conditions
- left lower extremity (LLE) lumbar radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- January 29, 2026
- Citation
- A26008500
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 A26008500.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for residuals of lumbar microdiscectomy, right lower extremity (RLE) and left lower extremity (LLE) lumbar radiculopathy. The claims for other conditions were remanded.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for left lower extremity (LLE) lumbar radiculopathy and right lower extremity (RLE) lumbar radiculopathy, readjudicated the left elbow condition, and denied service connection for dry eye syndrome. Other claims were dismissed.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for major depressive disorder and left lower extremity lumbar radiculopathy are being remanded due to a failure to obtain relevant medical records from the Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital. These records could have significant impact on the rating decisions.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
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