Secondary service connection
Radiculopathy secondary to a back condition: BVA grant rates and what wins
From 2017 to 2026, the Board of Veterans' Appeals decided radiculopathy claimed as secondary to a back condition in 1,187 decisions. It granted the issue in 49.6% of them, above the 28.0% grant rate for all radiculopathy issues, denied it in 16.0%, and remanded it in 34.5%. Counting only decisions on the merits, 75.6% were granted.
Decisions
1,187
2017–2026
Granted
49.6%
All radiculopathy: 28.0%
Granted on the merits
75.6%
Granted ÷ (granted + denied)
Remanded
34.5%
Denied: 16.0%
See all radiculopathy decisions, direct and secondary.
Radiculopathy secondary to a back condition: outcomes by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 21 | 28.6% | 23.8% | 47.6% |
| 2018 | 49 | 26.5% | 22.4% | 49.0% |
| 2019 | 91 | 28.6% | 20.9% | 50.5% |
| 2020 | 124 | 41.1% | 21.8% | 38.7% |
| 2021 | 121 | 43.8% | 14.9% | 42.1% |
| 2022 | 127 | 44.9% | 13.4% | 41.7% |
| 2023 | 157 | 50.3% | 17.2% | 31.8% |
| 2024 | 182 | 54.4% | 14.3% | 31.3% |
| 2025 | 219 | 57.1% | 15.5% | 27.4% |
| 2026 | 96 | 83.3% | 6.3% | 10.4% |
Evidence in granted and denied radiculopathy decisions
For each kind of supporting evidence: how often the Board granted the radiculopathy issue on the merits when the decision mentioned it, compared with decisions that did not. These are associations, not causes, and evidence is recorded per decision, not per issue.
| In the record | Decisions | Granted when present | When absent | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Positive nexus opinion | 390 | 89.1% | 65.7% | +23.4 pts |
| Treating physician opinion | 75 | 94.5% | 74.2% | +20.4 pts |
| Private medical opinion | 560 | 81.3% | 68.2% | +13.1 pts |
| Favorable VA exam | 232 | 84.0% | 72.9% | +11.1 pts |
| Combat service | 67 | 83.3% | 75.0% | +8.4 pts |
| Buddy statement | 53 | 82.1% | 75.3% | +6.8 pts |
| Lay statement | 1,030 | 74.7% | 82.4% | −7.7 pts |
- The Board applied the benefit-of-the-doubt rule (38 CFR 3.102) in 73.9% of the decisions that granted radiculopathy.
- The Board found the veteran's statements credible in 38.7% of grants and 12.6% of denials.
Negative evidence in the record
An unfavorable exam or a negative nexus opinion often sits in the same record as favorable evidence, and the Board weighs them against each other. So these rows show how often radiculopathy was still granted when the record contained the negative item, not that the item helped.
| In the record | Decisions | Granted when present | When absent | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Negative nexus opinion | 665 | 70.9% | 82.7% | −11.8 pts |
| Unfavorable VA exam | 1,012 | 73.9% | 88.0% | −14.1 pts |
Why the Board granted or denied radiculopathy
Most common reasons in grants
- Caused by the service-connected disability238
- Current diagnosis established85
- Service connection established43
- Criteria for service connection met9
- Secondary service connection criteria met9
- Criteria for secondary service connection met8
- Secondary service connection warranted6
- Service connection granted5
Most common reasons in denials
- No current diagnosis21
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis19
- Current diagnosis established12
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service10
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim8
- Caused by the service-connected disability6
- Service records negative or silent5
- Aggravated by the service-connected disability4
Numbers are decisions that gave the reason. Reasons are short phrases extracted by AI from each decision; common wordings of the same reason are grouped. Benefit of the doubt is reported above.
Recent radiculopathy decisions
Granted
Service connection for low back disability established by AOJ; VA examination found radiculopathy related to low back disability; Secondary service connection criteria met
Current diagnosis of LLE radiculopathy; Evidence in relative equipoise; Resolving doubt in veteran's favor; Lumbosacral strain identified as likely cause
Diagnosed together with back condition; Consistent treatment history with back symptoms; Benefit of doubt resolved in veteran's favor
Denied
No current radiculopathy diagnosed; Evidence supports neuropathy, not radiculopathy; EMG study did not find radiculopathy
Service treatment records negative for radiculopathy symptoms.; First complaints of radiculopathy symptoms occurred many years after service.; Veteran's reports of in-service injury causing radiculopathy were found not credible.
No current diagnosis of right upper extremity radiculopathy during appeal period; Service treatment records negative for radiculopathy complaints; Private and VA examinations did not diagnose right upper extremity radiculopathy
Rules that apply to secondary radiculopathy claims
- 38 CFR 3.310
Secondary service connection and aggravation
Read it in VA Law Explorer - M21-1 V.ii.2.D
Secondary service connection and aggravation of non-service-connected disabilities
Read it in VA Law Explorer - 38 CFR 3.102
Reasonable doubt (benefit of the doubt)
Read it in VA Law Explorer
Research your radiculopathy case
Narrow by year, judge, evidence or secondary condition, read the decisions, and export a research memo.
How these numbers are calculated
- Counts decisions in which the Board decided a radiculopathy issue claimed as secondary to a back condition, by the outcome of that issue.
- The primary disability is read from the decision text ("secondary to …") and grouped by name, so spellings such as "PTSD" and "posttraumatic stress disorder" count together.
- Secondary claims also include aggravation of a non-service-connected condition by a service-connected one (38 CFR 3.310(b)).
- The data comes from CaseScribe's AI extraction of public BVA decisions (2017–2026) and can contain errors. It is updated automatically as new decisions are added.