The Board granted service connection for lumbosacral strain, intervertebral disc syndrome, status post lumbar surgery, and associated radiculopathies of the lower extremities, as well as painful scars due to lower back surgery, effective July 17, 2018.
The deciding factor: The evidence was at least in equipoise that each condition was incurred in or due to service, warranting a grant of service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbosacral strain, intervertebral disc syndrome, status post lumbar surgery, radiculopathy, left lower extremity (femoral nerve), radiculopathy, left lower extremity (sciatic nerve), radiculopathy, right lower extremity (femoral nerve), radiculopathy, right lower extremity (sciatic nerve), painful scars due to lower back surgery
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- May 14, 2025
- Citation
- 25006576
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,500 · 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 25006576.
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 Veteran's appeal involves multiple issues, including service connection for various conditions. The Board has remanded several of these claims due to new evidence received after the September 2023 rating decision.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing or following substantially gainful employment.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his service-connected radiculopathy, left and right lower extremities, are being remanded due to a duty to assist error in the March 2021 VA examination.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection for radiculopathy of the left and right lower extremities, finding no legal merit in his arguments.
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