The Board has determined that the Veteran's low back disability is related to his service-connected bilateral knee disabilities, and thus grants entitlement to service connection for this condition.,The Board also granted entitlement to service connection for right lower extremity sciatica as secondary to the now service-connected low back disability. However, the claim for Achilles pain (right leg) was denied.
The deciding factor: The evidence is in equipoise regarding a causal relationship between the Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities and his low back disability, which grants service connection on a secondary basis.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Foot Disability, Low Back Disability, Right Lower Extremity Sciatica, Left Lower Extremity Sciatica, Achilles Pain (Right Leg)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 22, 2018
- Citation
- 1817584
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 1817584.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his low back, left knee, and right knee disabilities due to inadequate VA examinations. The AOJ is instructed to obtain private treatment records from Mays & Schnapp Pain Management and schedule the Veteran for additional medical examinations.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's low back disability, including diagnosed degenerative arthritis with DDD other than intervertebral disc syndrome and spinal stenosis status post L3, L4, and L5 laminectomy. The decision is based on the Veteran's in-service injury and his ongoing symptoms since then.
- Granted
The Veteran's right shoulder disability, low back condition, bilateral knee disabilities, and left shoulder strain have been granted service connection. The Veteran's low back condition has been increased to a 40 percent evaluation, while the bilateral knee conditions remain at their current 10 percent evaluations.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for the claimed conditions as there is no persuasive evidence of current diagnoses or in-service incurrence or aggravation.
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