Back / lumbar spine
Back and lumbar spine conditions are rated on range of motion and neurological effects, and often bring secondary radiculopathy claims. Exam adequacy drives many remands.
Across 14,813 real Board appeals for Back / lumbar spine
68% were granted, partly granted, or remanded.
A denial is often not the end — remands are sent back for more development and frequently end in a grant.
- Granted 13%
- Partly granted 22%
- Remanded 32%
- Denied 25%
What tends to win
Among the appeals that were granted or partly granted, the most common ways Back / lumbar spine was linked to service:
- Direct service connection3,965
- Reopened with new & material evidence397
- Secondary to another service-connected condition388
How it’s rated, in practice
When Back / lumbar spine was granted, the rating most often assigned was:
- 100% (934)
- 40% (366)
- 20% (301)
- 10% (206)
- 70% (119)
Presumptive & exposure paths
These appeals involved a recognized exposure — which can mean the link to service is presumed, with no nexus to prove:
- PACT Act133
- Gulf War83
- Agent Orange / herbicides68
- Camp Lejeune water48
- Burn pits & airborne hazards35
Real decisions
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral lower radiculopathy (sciatic and femoral nerve) secondary to the Veteran's service-connected back condition, as well as a 20 percent rating for his lumbar spine myofascial sprain.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for lumbosacral strain and lumbar radicopathy, right side, secondary to the lumbosacral strain.
- Granted
The Board granted initial ratings of 40 percent for lumbar spine disorder, 70 percent for major depressive disorder, and 40 percent for left lower extremity radiculopathy. TDIU and SMC based on housebound status were also granted.
- Granted
The Board grants service connection for right knee and lumbar spine ankylosing spondylitis, as these conditions are caused by the Veteran's already service-connected seronegative spondyloarthropathy.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for multiple disabilities, including cervical spine and thoracolumbar spine disabilities, radiculopathies, a bladder disability, headaches, a left knee disability, an acquired psychiatric disorder, and bilateral conjunctivitis. The Board also granted entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disability.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for a cervical spine disability and a thoracolumbar spine disability, finding that the Veteran's current disabilities are causally or etiologically due to his time in service.
What you can do next
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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.