The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a lower back disorder and right lower extremity sciatica, finding that there was no evidence of such disorders in-service or immediately thereafter.,The Board also found that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for TDIU as his disabilities alone were not sufficient to render him unable to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of the evidence does not support a finding that the Veteran's lower back disorder or right lower extremity sciatica began in-service, was caused by service, or is otherwise related to his time in-service.,The Board found that there was no medical evidence linking the Veteran’s current disabilities to his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- lower back disorder, right lower extremity sciatica
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 13, 2020
- Citation
- 20073112
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for generalized anxiety disorder and denied service connection for a lower back disorder. The claims for depression, substance abuse disorder, and a compensable initial rating for bilateral hearing loss were dismissed.
- Partly granted
The Board denied increased ratings for left and right lower extremity sciatica but granted separate disability ratings for neuritis and neuralgia.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for traumatic brain injury (TBI) and denied a rating in excess of 20 percent for urinary frequency. The other claims were remanded.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the right and left upper and lower extremities, as well as right and left lower extremity sciatica.
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