Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2025

The Board remands the issues of entitlement to various disability ratings and service connection for further development, as the current evidence is incomplete.

The veteran's appeal for service connection for multiple conditions was dismissed due to a late filing.

The Board granted service connection for tinnitus and denied it for chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). The remaining claims for various other conditions were remanded for further development.

The Board granted service connection for left wrist strain, right wrist strain, left ankle condition, right ankle condition, left knee condition, right knee condition, right shoulder condition, and left shoulder condition as secondary to service-connected lupus. Service connection was also granted for psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis as secondary to psoriasis.

The Veteran is granted special monthly compensation based on the need for aid and attendance from November 20, 2019.

The Veteran has been granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability and special monthly compensation due to the service-connected disabilities.

The Board dismissed the claims for service connection for a right knee disorder, lower back disorder, and respiratory disorder as untimely and lacking proper appeal procedures.

The Board granted service connection for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, left knee chronic gouty arthritis, right knee chronic gouty arthritis, and left ankle lateral ligamentous laxity. The claims for an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as earlier effective dates, were denied.

The Board denied service connection for a low back disability as the evidence did not support that it began during active service or was related to an in-service injury.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and sinusitis, granted service connection for tinnitus, and remanded claims related to the right ankle, low back, and residuals of a right triquetral fracture.

The appeals for increased ratings for back and bilateral knee disabilities, as well as right lower extremity radiculopathy, were dismissed due to the failure to validly opt-in to the Appeals Modernization Act (AMA) appeal system.

The Board granted service connection for lumbosacral strain and right ankle lateral collateral ligament sprain, finding that the evidence is at least in approximate balance that these conditions were incurred in or otherwise related to the Veteran's military service.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, a back disability, a left leg disability, a left foot disability, a left knee disability, and a right knee disability to the AOJ for further development.

The Board granted service connection for a low back disability, finding that the Veteran's pain with functional impairment is related to his active duty service. The hypertension claim was remanded for further development.

The Board remands the claim for a low back condition to obtain an addendum VA medical opinion addressing the nature and etiology of the Veteran's claimed lower back condition.

The Board granted service connection for a duodenal ulcer and denied service connection for degenerative disc disease, lumbar spine (lumbar spine DDD). The anterior pituitary condition was remanded.

The Board remands the claims for an initial increased rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD, service connection for GERD, chronic headaches, left and right hip conditions, and a lumbar spine condition due to insufficient evidence.

The Board remands the claims for an initial disability rating in excess of 20 percent for IVDS with DDD of the lumbar spine and in excess of 10 percent for radiculopathy of the right and left lower extremities femoral and sciatic nerves, as well as the TDIU claim, to obtain additional evidence.

The Board granted a 10 percent rating for the painful right fifth finger residual laceration scar and dismissed appeals regarding service connection for right knee instability, left knee instability, hypothyroidism, and a 10 percent evaluation based on multiple noncompensable disabilities.

The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder to include chronic adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood, but denied service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), bilateral hearing loss, and remanded several other conditions for further review.