Nexus letter
Lumbar spine condition (lower back)
Degenerative disc disease, strain, and other lumbar conditions tied to service.
$895 for this condition · $149 to start
What this claim turns on
Back claims are common and commonly denied, usually because the record shows one or two in-service complaints and then a gap of years. The medical question is whether that gap defeats the claim, and often it does not: degenerative disc disease progresses silently, and a service member who learned to manage pain without reporting it leaves no paper trail. A physician can explain the natural history of the condition, connect the imaging findings to a mechanism of injury documented in your service records, and address why the absence of continuous treatment does not mean the absence of continuous disease.
Conditions often secondary to this one
If lower back is already service connected for you, these conditions are frequently claimed as flowing from it. Each needs its own opinion.
Records to have ready
Your physician needs these to form an opinion. Gathering them before you start is the single biggest thing you can do to move your case quickly.
- DD-214 or other separation document
- Service treatment records covering your time in service
- Current VA or private treatment records showing a diagnosis
- Any VA rating decision or denial letter you have received
- Lumbar spine imaging — X-ray, MRI, or CT
- Physical therapy, chiropractic, or orthopaedic records
- Any in-service records of back complaints or injury
Missing something? Start anyway and tell us in the intake. Sometimes a gap changes the approach rather than stopping the claim. How to request your records.