The Board denied service connection for a low back condition, right lower extremity radiculopathy, and left lower extremity radiculopathy. The claims were denied as the evidence did not support that these conditions were related to the Veteran's service or secondary to his service-connected knee disabilities.
The deciding factor: The February 2022 VA examiner opined that the Veteran's low back condition is less likely than not related to the service-connected knee disabilities. The examiner explained that an injury to one joint would not generally have a significant impact on other joints unless the injury was sufficiently severe to result in a clinically obvious Trendelenburg gait, which was not supported by the medical record, the Veteran's history, or the VA examination itself.
- Claimed conditions
- Low back condition, Right lower extremity radiculopathy, Left lower extremity radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 13, 2025
- Citation
- A25098803
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 713 · 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 A25098803.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted effective dates of July 10, 2024 for service connection for PTSD, lumbar strain, and left lower extremity radiculopathy.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a low back condition and right shoulder rotator cuff strain, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are at least as likely as not related to his military service.
- Denied
The Veteran's right lower extremity radiculopathy was evaluated at a 20 percent rating, and the Board found that it did not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the claims for psychiatric disability and sleep apnea.,Service connection was granted for right lower extremity radiculopathy and left lower extremity radiculopathy secondary to a service-connected back disability, but denied for right wrist disability.
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