Service connection is granted for lumbosacral strain. The Veteran's current low back disorder is etiologically related to a back injury in service.,Service connection is denied for right ankle pain and left ankle pain, as well as obstructive sleep apnea. There is no evidence of chronic disability in service or post-service continuity of symptomatology.,Service connection is remanded for right wrist pain, cold and upper respiratory infections (claimed as sinus disorder), and bilateral partially compensated flatfoot and plantar fasciitis.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's current low back disorder was diagnosed in service and has been ongoing since then. The VA examiner found the condition less likely than not incurred in or caused by service.,There is no evidence of chronic ankle disorders in service, nor post-service continuity of symptomatology. The VA examiner found the current diagnoses were less likely than not related to service.,The Veteran's current sleep apnea was diagnosed after service and there is no documentation of a chronic condition during service.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbosacral strain, right ankle pain, left ankle pain, obstructive sleep apnea, right wrist pain, cold and upper respiratory infections (claimed as sinus disorder), bilateral partially compensated flatfoot and plantar fasciitis
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 20, 2020
- Citation
- 20074554
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,548 · Granted: 31% (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 20074554.
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
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Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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