The Board denied service connection for lumbosacral spine disability, left and right lower extremity radiculopathy (sciatica), and an increased rating for thoracic spine vertebral compression fractures. The Veteran's TDIU claim was also denied.,Service connection could not be established as the evidence did not show a link between the disabilities and service.
The deciding factor: The Board found insufficient evidence to establish a link between the Veteran's current lumbar spine and bilateral lower extremity disabilities and his service-connected thoracic spine vertebral fractures. The criteria for an increased rating were also not met as there was no unfavorable ankylosis of the thoracolumbar spine.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbosacral spine disability, left lower extremity radiculopathy (sciatica), right lower extremity radiculopathy (sciatica)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 28, 2021
- Citation
- 21066030
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 21066030.
What this means for you
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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 a disability rating in excess of 20 percent for his lumbosacral spine disability and for TDIU based on that condition due to inadequate examination. The case is being returned for further development.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a lumbosacral spine disability, finding that there is no evidence to support a link between the condition and active duty service or any other factor.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's sleep apnea is being remanded for a VA examination to determine if it is proximately due to or has undergone any incremental increase in disability due to his service-connected mental health, back, and shoulder disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU are remanded due to a duty-to-assist error in the previous VA examination, which did not discount the ameliorative effects of her pain medication. The case is also remanded for consideration of TDIU as part of the evaluation of her back disability.
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