Board decisions
What the Board granted and denied for lower back conditions
In the Board decisions we have indexed since 2019, veterans raised 100,368 issues about lower back conditions. Of the ones it decided, the Board granted 38 percent. It sent 50 percent of all these issues back for more work.
Every decision counted here is an appeal. The regional office decided the claim first, the veteran disagreed, and the Board is the next step after that. These are not the odds on a first claim.
Since 2019
4,168 were reopened for a fresh look, which is not a grant and is not counted as one. 4,282 were dismissed or withdrawn. 504 ended some other way, or we could not read the outcome.
Across every year we have indexed, that is 321,240 issues across 258,219 decisions, 33 percent granted of the ones decided, and 47 percent sent back for more work.
What a remand is
A remand is not a yes or a no. The Board sends the claim back to the regional office for more work, such as a new exam or a record that was not in the file. The claim is decided again later, and that later decision is a separate document.
What showed up in the decisions
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
| What the decision mentions | Granted46,723 issues | Denied96,667 issues |
|---|---|---|
| A medical opinion, or the words nexus or at least as likely as not, anywhere in the decision | 69 percent | 68 percent |
| The words lay statement, buddy statement, or lay evidence | 54 percent | 59 percent |
| A hearing was held (the veteran or a witness testified) | 46 percent | 36 percent |
| The decision calls an exam or medical opinion inadequate | 10 percent | 6 percent |
These are mentions in the written decision, not reasons for the outcome. A denied issue can mention a doctor's opinion just as a granted one does. Whether the opinion was for or against the claim, and the reasons it gave, are not something these counts can see. Each item is counted for the whole decision, so it may concern another issue decided in the same document.
Claimed together
A pair gets its own page once it appears at least 100 times and the Board decided at least 20 of them. Pairs below that are in the data but have no page.
Claimed as secondary to lower back conditions
Radiculopathy or neuropathy secondary to lower back conditions
Since 2019: 2,480 issues paired, 60 percent granted of the ones decided
Knee conditions secondary to lower back conditions
Since 2019: 1,020 issues paired, 28 percent granted of the ones decided
Hip conditions secondary to lower back conditions
Since 2019: 1,043 issues paired, 30 percent granted of the ones decided
Neck conditions secondary to lower back conditions
Since 2019: 747 issues paired, 23 percent granted of the ones decided
Depression or anxiety secondary to lower back conditions
Since 2019: 483 issues paired, 71 percent granted of the ones decided
Foot conditions secondary to lower back conditions
Since 2019: 425 issues paired, 34 percent granted of the ones decided
Arthritis secondary to lower back conditions
Since 2019: 316 issues paired, 43 percent granted of the ones decided
Shoulder conditions secondary to lower back conditions
Since 2019: 391 issues paired, 10 percent granted of the ones decided
Ankle conditions secondary to lower back conditions
Since 2019: 213 issues paired, 24 percent granted of the ones decided
Erectile dysfunction secondary to lower back conditions
Since 2019: 187 issues paired, 48 percent granted of the ones decided
Migraines secondary to lower back conditions
Since 2019: 166 issues paired, 50 percent granted of the ones decided
Wrist and hand conditions secondary to lower back conditions
Since 2019: 144 issues paired, 24 percent granted of the ones decided
Sleep apnea secondary to lower back conditions
Since 2019: 258 issues paired, 58 percent granted of the ones decided
High blood pressure secondary to lower back conditions
Since 2019: 112 issues paired, 34 percent granted of the ones decided
PTSD secondary to lower back conditions
Since 2019: 47 issues paired, 64 percent granted of the ones decided
GERD secondary to lower back conditions
Since 2019: 66 issues paired, 63 percent granted of the ones decided
Diabetes secondary to lower back conditions
Since 2019: 69 issues paired, 60 percent granted of the ones decided
Stomach ulcers secondary to lower back conditions
Since 2019: 19 issues paired, 50 percent granted of the ones decided
Fibromyalgia secondary to lower back conditions
Since 2019: 19 issues paired, 50 percent granted of the ones decided
Lower back conditions claimed as secondary to something else
Lower back conditions secondary to knee conditions
Since 2019: 1,696 issues paired, 43 percent granted of the ones decided
Lower back conditions secondary to foot conditions
Since 2019: 678 issues paired, 42 percent granted of the ones decided
Lower back conditions secondary to ankle conditions
Since 2019: 472 issues paired, 47 percent granted of the ones decided
Lower back conditions secondary to arthritis
Since 2019: 258 issues paired, 59 percent granted of the ones decided
Lower back conditions secondary to hip conditions
Since 2019: 182 issues paired, 45 percent granted of the ones decided
Lower back conditions secondary to neck conditions
Since 2019: 108 issues paired, 35 percent granted of the ones decided
Lower back conditions secondary to shoulder conditions
Since 2019: 108 issues paired, 17 percent granted of the ones decided
Lower back conditions secondary to PTSD
Since 2019: 76 issues paired, 50 percent granted of the ones decided
Lower back conditions secondary to scars
Since 2019: 21 issues paired, 67 percent granted of the ones decided
Lower back conditions secondary to radiculopathy or neuropathy
Since 2019: 43 issues paired, 24 percent granted of the ones decided
Lower back conditions secondary to depression or anxiety
Since 2019: 49 issues paired, 60 percent granted of the ones decided
Five recent decisions about lower back conditions
- June 30, 2026Denied
Entitlement to a rating in excess of 20 percent for lumbar strain with degenerative disc disease
Read the decision at VA.gov - June 30, 2026Denied
An initial disability rating in excess of 20 percent for the service-connected lumbar strain prior to April 13, 2023
Read the decision at VA.gov - June 30, 2026Denied
Service connection for lumbosacral strain and degenerative disc disease (DDD) with foraminal stenosis
Read the decision at VA.gov - June 29, 2026Granted
Entitlement to service connection for thoracolumbar spine degenerative arthritis
Read the decision at VA.gov - June 26, 2026Granted
Service connection for a lumbar spine disability, to include lumbosacral strain and degenerative arthritis of the spine
Read the decision at VA.gov
What this means for you
Three things carry a joint claim. Range of motion, measured in degrees. Functional loss, which is the rating rules' term for pain on use, weakness, tiring out, and the movements you cannot make. And a clear line from the injury in service to the joint that is painful now.
The exam carries a lot of weight. The rating rules say the exam has to show the functional loss, not just the degrees, and they count a joint that becomes painful on use as seriously disabled. Say what a bad day looks like, in plain words, and say it at the exam.
For a first claim, the link matters more than the pain. Service records that show the injury, the sick call visit, or a profile (the form that limited your duty) do the heavy lifting. A doctor's opinion that ties today's diagnosis to that event is what the Board reads for.
For a higher rating, the Board reads the numbers. Bring the degrees, the instability findings, and the words the rating rules use, like painful motion and functional loss. A statement from someone who watches you limp or stop mid-task fills in what the exam room misses.
Keep reading
Board decisions by condition
Every condition family and the secondary pairs that appeared most, counted from 1,479,738 Board decisions.
How to Read a Board of Veterans' Appeals Decision
Where VA Board decisions live and how to read one in ten minutes, using a real back case.
Lay Evidence and Buddy Statements That Hold Up at the Board
Who can write a statement for you, what they can say, and how the VA weighs it, with prompts for knee, back, sleep apnea, and PTSD.
Free to use. The written playbook is $49.99 once, when it ships.
An issue is counted in a family by its diagnostic code or by the words in the issue. One issue can be counted in more than one family. Percent granted is of the ones the Board decided, so remands and dismissals are left out. The example decisions are recent ones we could link whose issue names this condition, chosen so that both outcomes are shown when we have them. Reopened claims and effective-date disputes are left out. Past decisions do not predict yours. Each page states the decisions from 2019 on, and says so, unless the Board decided too few of them since 2019 to give a percentage worth reading. Where that happens the page counts every year instead and tells you it has. This page is education, not legal advice. Rules quoted are from 38 CFR Parts 3 and 4, as published on the government's eCFR website. Board decisions are public records, linked at their source.