The Board denied service connection for an autoimmune disease due to the lack of a current diagnosis, and remanded claims for left lower extremity sciatica and radiculopathy as well as degenerative arthritis, lumbar spine for further development.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not establish a current disability for an autoimmune disease, and the VA examiner's opinion was found inadequate due to its failure to consider the Veteran's lay statements of in-service injury and symptoms.
- Claimed conditions
- autoimmune disease, degenerative arthritis, lumbar spine (claimed as back condition), left lower extremity sciatica and radiculopathy (claimed as left side sciatic nerve)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 17, 2025
- Citation
- A25024499
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 910 · 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 A25024499.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The veteran's claims for service connection for autoimmune and cardiovascular disabilities were denied. The claims for lumbar spine, radiculopathy, and bilateral knee disabilities were remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to incomplete development and need for additional medical opinions. The issues of service connection are now secondary to an autoimmune disease, presumed to be caused by contaminated water exposure at Camp Lejeune.
- Dismissed
The Veteran requested to withdraw all issues on appeal, and the Board dismissed them due to lack of specific error of fact or law.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases due to inadequate evidence regarding the Veteran's exposure during service and the nature of her disabilities. The Veteran is required to provide additional private treatment records, obtain VA treatment records from March 2022 onwards, and have their exposure verified by the United States Army Dosimetry Center. They are also required to undergo an examination for a determination on the nature and likely cause of their claimed conditions.
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