The Board granted service connection for chronic left epididymitis but denied service connection for degenerative changes of the lumbar spine.
The deciding factor: The currently demonstrated chronic left epididymitis is shown as likely as not to be due to a continuity of related testicle manifestations that began during the Veteran's period of active service. The Board found no evidence linking the degenerative joint and disc disease of the lumbar spine with an injury or other event or incident of the Veteran's active service.
- Claimed conditions
- degenerative changes of the lumbar spine, epididymitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 20, 2009
- Citation
- 0910620
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,599 · Granted: 37% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted 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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0910620.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's epididymitis was incurred during service and granted service connection for this condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for left lower extremity radiculopathy, which is secondary to her degenerative changes of the lumbar spine, has been remanded due to a duty-to-assist error. The Board found that VA did not obtain private medical records from Hiro Chiropractic and Springfield Family Physicians, who treated the Veteran during the period on appeal.
- Granted
The Veteran's effective date for a 40 percent disability rating for service-connected epididymitis, status post right hemiscrotal exploration, is granted as of June 21, 2019.
- Granted
The Veteran's claims for service connection have been granted, with the exception of gastrointestinal disability other than umbilical hernia (including irritable bowel syndrome) and back disability. The Board found new evidence relevant to these claims.
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