The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, both secondary to his now service-connected back disability. The decision is based on a finding that there is at least an equipoise of evidence regarding whether these conditions are related to service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran's lay statements about continuous back pain since service were credible and competent, creating doubt in favor of the Veteran. Additionally, the VA physician's opinion linking the radiculopathy to the back disability was not contradicted by another opinion.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine (back disability), Bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 2, 2023
- Citation
- 23006979
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 23006979.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy on the basis of CUE in the February 1996 rating decision have been denied. The May 2022 rating decision is also dismissed as it failed to grant service connection.
- Granted
The Veteran's PTSD is granted as service connection was established based on a diagnosed condition and credible supporting evidence of an in-service stressor.,Service connection for low back disability is granted, with the diagnosis being intervertebral disc degeneration and spinal stenosis of the lumbar region (low back disability).,The Veteran's bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy secondary to his now service-connected low back disability is granted. The link between the two conditions was established by medical evidence.,Service connection for residuals of a head injury, manifested as head pain, memory impairment, loss of balance, and dizziness, is granted based on credible supporting evidence that the claimed in-service stressor occurred.,The Veteran's right foot disability does not meet service connection criteria.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claim for separate ratings for bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy has been dismissed as the appeal is moot due to the grant of service connection and the subsequent denial of an increased rating.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal was dismissed because the Board Appeal request was not timely filed with respect to the rating decision issued on October 21, 2021.
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