Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2025

The Board denied service connection for depression, an anxiety disorder, bilateral hearing loss, a back disorder, and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as there is no evidence of current diagnoses or symptoms reasonably associated with these conditions.

The Board granted initial ratings for lumbosacral degenerative disc disease and radiculopathies but denied an increased rating for PTSD. The claims for service connection for fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome were remanded.

The claims for service connection for a back condition, left knee condition, and right ankle condition are remanded to provide the Veteran with notice of her right to a hearing regarding these claims.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral knee disability and low back disability as there was no evidence of these conditions manifesting during service or being etiologically related to service.

The Board remands the appeal for an initial rating higher than 60 percent for Type 1 diabetes mellitus and dismisses the appeals for service connection and higher ratings for left ear hearing loss, right ear hearing loss, bilateral tinnitus, lumbosacral strain, and right shoulder strain due to untimely notices of disagreement.

The Board remanded the matters for a new VA medical opinion regarding service connection for a low back disability and an initial rating higher than 10 percent for hepatitis C.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a back condition is granted based on credible lay evidence and the Veteran's credible testimony.

The Board remands the matter for an addendum medical opinion to address whether any back disabilities other than lumbar strain are directly related to service or secondary to either the service-connected lumbar strain and/or diabetes mellitus.

The Board remands the matter for an eighth time to obtain a retrospective medical opinion regarding the severity of the Veteran's service-connected lower back condition from June 2008 to the present, in compliance with Stegall v. West.

The appeal was denied for an increased rating of tinnitus and remanded for further development on other service connection claims.

The Board granted service connection for a respiratory condition other than asthma, to include rhinitis and/or sinusitis, and a low back condition. Asthma was denied.

The Board remands the case for an addendum medical opinion to specifically address whether any of the Veteran's back conditions are related to a reported in-service injury.

The Veteran was granted a 70 percent rating for PTSD from July 15, 2020, and a TDIU from October 1, 2018, but the increased ratings for both conditions were denied.

The Board denied an initial disability rating in excess of 40 percent for thoracolumbar spine invertebral disc syndrome and a total disability rating based upon individual unemployability (TDIU) due to service-connected disabilities.

The appeal was dismissed due to untimely filing of the Notice of Disagreement (NOD) more than a year after the relevant rating decisions were issued.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and lumbar degenerative disc disease to allow VA to obtain potentially relevant records from Florida VA facilities and clarify dates and locations of periods of incarceration.

The Board granted a 50 percent rating for an acquired psychiatric disorder and denied a compensable rating for pseudofolliculitis barbae, while remanding several other claims.

The Board granted service connection for tinnitus, but denied service connection for the other conditions listed.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and earlier effective dates, as well as remanded certain issues related to TDIU and DEA benefits.

The Board granted service connection for a neck disability, an initial rating of 30 percent for headaches, and a rating of 40 percent for a back disability. The claims for left and right upper extremity radiculopathy were remanded.