The Board denied service connection for a disability manifested by bilateral leg numbness and a lower back disability as the evidence did not support a finding of current disabilities or a link to active service.
The deciding factor: There was no medical evidence showing a current disability manifested by bilateral leg numbness, and the first diagnosis of a lower back condition occurred many years after discharge from active service. No competent medical evidence linked these conditions to the veteran's military service.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral leg numbness, lower back disability (lumbosacral strain)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- March 25, 2008
- Citation
- 0809794
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 684 · Granted: 25% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0809794.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a left shoulder disorder, low back disorder, and bilateral leg numbness. The Veteran's symptoms are found to be related to his active-duty service.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the Veteran's claim for service connection for a lower back disability due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for an eating disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, dizziness, and bilateral leg numbness as there was no evidence of a present disability or sufficient evidence that the Veteran suffers from such conditions.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases for additional development due to insufficient compliance with previous remand directives and factual inaccuracies in some opinions.
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