How the Board ruled on lower leg and shin splint claims, 2021–2025

Lower leg (incl. shin splints) (direct service connection)

Direct (began in or was caused by service), or theory not stated in the Board order

29.8% granted of 1,073 decided cases (margin of error 27.2–32.6%). 320 granted, 753 denied, 1,597 sent back to VA (remanded, not decided), 200 dismissed.

What convinced the Board in granted cases

• The Board granted when a medical opinion or the treatment records tied a lower-leg nerve condition to an already service-connected back, diabetes, or heart condition. (6 of 10 decisions read; e.g. 23054548, A22016703, 24004000)
• VA exam opinions lost weight when they did not address whether the service-connected condition caused or worsened the leg symptoms, or did not explain the diagnosis. (2 of 10 decisions read, few decisions; e.g. 23054548, A24016471)
• The Board credited the veteran's own account of leg pain starting in service when service treatment records backed it up, including for shin splints. (2 of 10 decisions read, few decisions; e.g. 23000795, 22043110)

Common reasons in denied cases

• No competent medical opinion linked the condition to service: the only link was the veteran's own belief, or a thorough VA opinion against the claim went unrebutted. (5 of 11 decisions read; e.g. 21027027, 21027096, 23025421)
• There was no current diagnosis, such as an exam that found no shin splints or no radiculopathy during the claim period. (4 of 11 decisions read; e.g. A25011803, 23058702, A25007013)
• Other reasons included no leg problem shown in service, a decades-long gap before symptoms, or a primary condition that was not service-connected. (3 of 11 decisions read; e.g. A25000554, A21006814, 23015323)

See the full answer, year by year →

Lower leg (incl. shin splints) secondary to any service-connected condition

Secondary (caused or worsened by a service-connected condition)

36.1% granted of 249 decided cases (margin of error 30.4–42.3%). 90 granted, 159 denied, 461 sent back to VA (remanded, not decided), 17 dismissed.

What convinced the Board in granted cases

• The Board granted when a medical opinion, private or VA, examined the veteran and explained how the service-connected back problem or diabetes caused the leg nerve condition. (5 of 13 decisions read; e.g. 21023479, 24004912, A24001889)
• The Board gave little or no weight to negative VA opinions built on wrong facts, such as wrongly assuming the veteran had no diabetes or that the back condition was not service-connected. (3 of 13 decisions read; e.g. 23003363, A24004220, 23003000)
• Many grants followed from the Board first granting the underlying back condition or diabetes in the same decision, then linking the leg nerve condition to it. (6 of 13 decisions read; e.g. 24025223, 23027087, A24065477)

Common reasons in denied cases

• The most common reason for denial was no current diagnosis: VA examinations and treatment records found no radiculopathy or separate nerve condition in the legs. (5 of 13 decisions read; e.g. A24014588, A24033610, A21016187)
• The veteran's own belief that he had a nerve condition, or what caused it, was not competent medical evidence, and detailed VA opinions against the claim went unrebutted. (4 of 13 decisions read; e.g. A21016187, A24033610, 21040052)
• Secondary claims failed when the underlying back condition or diabetes was itself not service-connected. (4 of 13 decisions read; e.g. 21005972, A23010659, 22030997)

See the full answer, year by year →

Lower leg (incl. shin splints) secondary to low back (lumbar spine)

Secondary (caused or worsened by a service-connected condition)

44.4% granted of 72 decided cases (margin of error 33.5–55.9%). 32 granted, 40 denied, 169 sent back to VA (remanded, not decided), 6 dismissed.

What convinced the Board in granted cases

• The Board gave weight to private opinions that examined the veteran and explained, with detailed reasoning or literature, how the back caused nerve problems in the legs, even when a VA exam found none. (4 of 9 decisions read; e.g. A21006828, A21006963, 23002881)
• Once the back was service connected, medical evidence, often VA examinations, tied leg radiculopathy to it as a recognized complication of the spine condition. (4 of 9 decisions read; e.g. 21037020, 24020850, 22021226)
• Credible lay statements from the veteran or a spouse about back pain radiating into the legs since service supported grants. (2 of 9 decisions read, few decisions; e.g. A24070565, A24019474)

Common reasons in denied cases

• The Board denied when VA examinations with nerve testing found no radiculopathy, or found the leg symptoms came from a different condition, and gave those exams more weight than a chiropractor's report. (7 of 13 decisions read; e.g. A21002911, 22060579, 21053849)
• Many claims failed because the back condition itself was not service connected, so a secondary claim for the legs could not succeed. (6 of 13 decisions read; e.g. A24046039, 21051413, 23011405)
• The veteran's own view was not competent to diagnose radiculopathy or link the leg symptoms to the back, and one account of radiating pain conflicted with service records. (3 of 13 decisions read; e.g. A21002911, 22060579, 21051413)

See the full answer, year by year →

Lower leg (incl. shin splints) secondary to diabetes

Secondary (caused or worsened by a service-connected condition)

Small sample: 28 decided cases, too few for a reliable percentage. 14 granted, 14 denied, 52 sent back to VA (remanded, not decided), 2 dismissed.

See the full answer, year by year →

Lower leg (incl. shin splints) secondary to knee

Secondary (caused or worsened by a service-connected condition)

Small sample: 21 decided cases, too few for a reliable percentage. 3 granted, 18 denied, 26 sent back to VA (remanded, not decided), 1 dismissed.

See the full answer, year by year →

Lower leg (incl. shin splints) secondary to heart disease

Secondary (caused or worsened by a service-connected condition)

Small sample: 12 decided cases, too few for a reliable percentage. 3 granted, 9 denied, 28 sent back to VA (remanded, not decided), 3 dismissed.

See the full answer, year by year →