The Veteran's L4-5 facet arthropathy is service-connected, with the Board finding that continuous symptoms since service separation warrant this decision.,Service connection for sleep apnea was denied as the Veteran's chronic sleep impairment is already compensated through his major depressive disorder.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran experienced continuous back pain since service separation and provided sufficient evidence to support a grant of service connection on a presumptive basis.,Service connection for sleep apnea was denied as the Veteran's chronic sleep impairment is already compensated through his major depressive disorder.
- Claimed conditions
- L4-5 facet arthropathy, Lumbar radiculitis to include nerve pain radiating down to the left lower extremity, Lumbar radiculitis to include nerve pain radiating down to the right lower extremity, Sleep impairment (claimed as sleep apnea)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- February 26, 2019
- Citation
- A19000146
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,200 · Granted: 43% (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 A19000146.
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.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's headaches are at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected traumatic brain injury, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Granted
The Veteran's major depressive disorder is found to be caused by his service-connected low back and radiculopathy disabilities, which prevent him from doing enjoyable activities and daily living tasks.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper extremities, and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his active service or any related exposure.
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