The Veteran's claim for a higher rating of his lumbar strain is denied. The claims for service connection for right and left lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy are granted, but the claim for service connection for stomach or gastrointestinal disability (to include gastroparesis, peptic ulcer disease, and esophageal varices) is remanded, as is the claim for service connection for tinnitus.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's lumbar strain does not meet the criteria for a higher rating than 40 percent under the General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine due to lack of ankylosis or functional equivalent thereof. The claims for right and left lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy are granted as secondary to his service-connected lumbar strain.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar strain, right lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy, left lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- February 24, 2026
- Citation
- A26016340
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 A26016340.
What this means for you
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for service connection for right hand arthritis and left hand arthritis have been dismissed.,The Veteran's appeals for a higher rating for lumbar strain, radiculopathy of the left sciatic nerve, and radiculopathy of the right sciatic nerve have been remanded.
- Granted
The Veteran's left lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy was granted a disability rating of 40 percent, effective June 25, 2024. The decision found that the condition manifested with an incomplete paralysis of the sciatic nerve that was moderately severe.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has granted service connection for lumbar strain and lumbar intervertebral disc syndrome with left sciatica. The right lower extremity sciatica claim is remanded due to a duty-to-assist error.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's back disability, diagnosed as lumbar strain, spinal stenosis and degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the lumbar spine, is causally related to service. As such, service connection for this condition is granted.
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