The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for a back disorder, including a herniated disc and sacroiliac strain, as it was not shown to have been incurred in or aggravated by active service, nor was it proximately due to her service-connected right ankle disability.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not support a finding that the veteran's current back condition was related to her period of service or secondary to her service-connected right ankle disability. The medical opinions provided were equivocal and did not establish a clear link between the veteran's in-service injury and her current back disorder.
- Claimed conditions
- herniated disc, sacroiliac strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- January 2, 2009
- Citation
- 0900098
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 122 · Granted: 24% (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 0900098.
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: Denied
The Veteran's child is not eligible for VA benefits under 38 U.S.C. § 1805 for spina bifida because the evidence does not support a diagnosis of this condition.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's back disability, including back strain and herniated disc, is related to his military service. The Board has granted the claim for service connection.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for a lumbar disorder, diagnosed as degenerative arthritis, spinal stenosis, herniated disc, and multi-level spondylosis. The Board found that the Veteran's current disability is related to his military service.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for higher ratings for service-connected low back disability and related radiculopathy is being remanded due to the need for clarification of crucial medical questions.,Higher ratings are sought for right and left lower extremity lumbar radiculopathy, but these issues have also been remanded.
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