The Board has granted service connection for low back disorders, sciatica of the bilateral lower extremities, insomnia (claimed as a sleep disorder), and an acquired psychiatric disorder. The conditions are found to be related to service or secondary to other service-connected disabilities.
The deciding factor: The evidence is at least in equipoise regarding the relationship between the Veteran's current conditions and his military service, with particular emphasis on the role of chronic low back pain as a primary cause for these conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- Low back disorder (variously diagnosed), Sciatica of the bilateral lower extremities, Insomnia (claimed as a sleep disorder), Acquired psychiatric disorder (variously diagnosed)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 10, 2019
- Citation
- 19153222
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,421 · Granted: 29% (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 19153222.
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 remanded the cases for further development and examination to determine if the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders, including PTSD, and CFS with a sleep disorder are related to his military service.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's diagnosed adjustment disorder, NOS (not otherwise specified) is less likely than not related to the conceded stressor of fear of hostile military or terrorist activity. Other recorded psychiatric disorders have not been shown to be related to in-service occurrence or event.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, fibrocystic breast disease, and has denied service connection for chronic headaches, low back disability, right hip disability, right knee disability, and neuropathy of the right foot.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine. The Veteran's claims for radiculopathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities, sciatica of the bilateral lower extremities, and perifolliculitis are remanded for further examination.
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