Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2025

The Board denied service connection for a right ankle disability and remanded claims for left ankle, back, tinnitus, and migraine disabilities due to insufficient evidence.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection of left shoulder strain, degenerative disc disease with degenerative arthritis of the spine and intervertebral disc syndrome, left lower extremity radiculopathy, sciatic nerve, and right lower extremity radiculopathy, sciatic nerve.

The Board granted service connection for a back disability, right knee disability, and right hip disability but denied service connection for a left knee disability and tension headaches. The traumatic brain injury was also denied.

The Board granted earlier effective dates and initial ratings for muscle tension headaches, sleep apnea, and unspecified depressive disorder with anxious distress, but denied a higher rating for sleep apnea and an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for unspecified depressive disorder with anxious distress. The Board also granted an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss and denied a higher rating.

The Board denied earlier effective dates for the initial ratings of various conditions and denied increased ratings, except for a 30 percent rating for Crohn's disease starting January 13, 2022.

The Board denied service connection for hair loss, allergies and/or sinus disability, bilateral hearing loss, a low back disability, and a left knee disability as there was no evidence of current disabilities or in-service incurrence.

The Board denied ratings in excess of the current assigned ratings for left shoulder strain, lumbosacral strain, and right wrist disorder. However, a 70 percent rating was granted for residuals of traumatic brain injury (TBI).

The Board granted service connection for tinnitus and a 30 percent rating for posttraumatic headaches as residuals of traumatic brain injury, while remanding several other claims for further development.

The Board granted a disability rating of 40 percent for the Veteran's low back disorder, resolving the benefit of the doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased rating and service connection, as well as earlier effective dates for various conditions.

The Board denied service connection for hearing loss and insomnia, granted service connection for tinnitus, and remanded claims for further development.

The Board granted service connection for low back strain, finding a nexus to the Veteran's active duty based on his reports of in-service injuries and medical evidence.

The Board granted service connection for lumbosacral strain, finding that the Veteran's current condition is related to an in-service injury.

The Board denied increased disability evaluations for right and left ankle sprains, but remanded claims for service connection of cervical spine, lumbar spine, and left ring finger disorders as secondary to service-connected disabilities.

The Board denied earlier effective dates for the grants of service connection and ratings for various disabilities, including pulmonary disability, back disability, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and right lower extremity radiculopathy.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a lumbar spine disability, right lumbar radiculopathy, and right foot disability as there was no new and relevant evidence to warrant readjudication.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for lumbar and thoracic spine disabilities due to a lack of adequate medical evidence linking these conditions to service or a service-connected disability.

The Board remands the appeal seeking an increased rating for the back disability for further development due to inadequate medical opinions.

The Board granted service connection for a cervical spine disorder, thoracolumbar spine disorder, and right shoulder disorder based on the Veteran's in-service symptoms and continuity of symptomatology.

The Board denied service connection for a low back disability, right knee disability, and carcinoid tumor/well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumor of the appendix as there was no evidence to support a nexus between these conditions and the Veteran's military service.