The Veteran's degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine is granted service connection as it is at least as likely as not related to an in-service injury.,The Veteran's left and right lower extremity neuropathy are also granted service connection as they are due to his service-connected back condition.
The deciding factor: The VA medical opinions provided evidence that the Veteran's current degenerative disc disease is linked to a back injury sustained during service, which led to his need for surgery and ongoing pain management.,VA medical opinions also established that the Veteran's peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities was due to his service-connected back condition.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, Peripheral neuropathy of left lower extremity, Peripheral neuropathy of right lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 29, 2026
- Citation
- A26008461
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 A26008461.
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 Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for his lumbar spine and right hip disabilities due to a duty to assist error. The effective date for DEA benefits is granted as May 1, 2014.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date and higher initial rating for his back disability is denied. The effective date remains March 29, 2021, as the earliest date of claim. An initial rating in excess of 20 percent for the back disability from March 29, 2021, is also denied.
- Granted
The Veteran's low back disability and right leg radiculopathy are granted service connection, but left leg radiculopathy is denied.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for TDIU, finding that his service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing or maintaining substantially gainful employment.
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