Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2025

The appeal of the denial of service-connected compensation for claimed disabilities and claims for increases in disability ratings was dismissed due to untimely filing.

The Board denied service connection for a lower and mid back disability and denied higher initial ratings for the Veteran's left forearm laceration scars.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for an increased rating for right knee strain and service connection for bilateral hearing loss, low back pain, left shoulder pain, right shoulder pain, and a surgery scar on the lumbar region.

The Board granted increased ratings of 40 percent for degenerative arthritis, lumbosacral strain with vertebral fracture and 20 percent each for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy.

The appeal for service connection for various conditions was dismissed due to the Veteran submitting the NOD more than one year after the rating decision and not requesting an extension.

The Board granted service connection for left ear hearing loss disability and denied an earlier effective date for urinary incontinence, while remanding claims for bowel incontinence and right ear hearing loss.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, an increased rating for generalized anxiety disorder with depression (GAD), and a compensable rating for pseudofolliculitis barbae. The claims for service connection for chronic left knee pain, chronic right knee pain, low back pain, neurogenic erectile dysfunction, onychomycosis, and pain and dysfunction of the right shoulder were remanded.

The Board granted service connection for a low back disability, right lower extremity radiculopathy, and left lower extremity radiculopathy. The claims for headaches and gastrointestinal issues were remanded.

The Veteran's migraine headaches with vasovagal pre-syncope were granted a 50 percent rating, while the claims for increased ratings and earlier effective dates for other conditions were denied or remanded.

The Board denied service connection for lumbar strain with thoracolumbar scoliosis and a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board granted service connection for hypertension under the PACT Act and denied service connection for PTSD, left ear hearing loss, and remanded claims for asthma, low back, neck condition, and tension headaches.

The Board granted service connection for sinusitis and rhinitis, which are presumed to be related to the Veteran's exposure to fine particulate matter while serving in the Southwest Asia theater of operations during the Persian Gulf War. The claim for an earlier effective date was denied.

The Board granted service connection for lumbar spine intervertebral disc syndrome and radiculopathy left lower extremity sciatic nerve as secondary to IVDS, finding the evidence was at least evenly balanced.

The Board granted service connection for various radiculopathies and cervical spine conditions, with effective dates of March 7, 2014, but no earlier, and June 23, 2014, but no earlier. It also granted an initial rating of 30 percent from March 7, 2014, for degenerative disc disease and degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine, and a 40 percent rating from June 23, 2014, for degenerative disc disease and degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine.

The Board granted service connection for a back disability and a neck disability, both of which the Veteran claims resulted from injuries incurred during his active military service.

The Board granted service connection for respiratory insufficiency, cardiac arrhythmia, fatigue, and a left elbow condition, while denying service connection for other specified depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, an initial disability rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD, and an initial compensable disability rating for epidydimal cyst. The Board also denied an increased rating for lumbosacral strain.

The Board remands the claim for a disability rating in excess of 10 percent for lumbar degenerative arthritis to obtain additional evidence and clarify the ameliorative effects of medications on the Veteran's condition.

The Board granted increased ratings for the Veteran's lumbar disorder, left and right lower extremity radiculopathy, and PTSD.

The Board denied service connection for a lumbar spine disability, as the evidence did not support a finding of a current disability and there was no credible evidence that any claimed condition began during or is related to active duty.

The Veteran's service-connected degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine with intervertebral disc syndrome is granted an increased rating to 40 percent, and no higher, as of May 4, 2021. The Veteran is also granted a total disability rating based upon individual unemployability (TDIU) and special monthly compensation at the '(l)' rate.