Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2025

The Board remands the claim for an increased rating for thoracic degenerative disc disease with lumbar spondylosis to obtain a new medical opinion in line with recent legal precedents.

The Board granted service connection for lumbar spine degenerative disc disease, finding a continuity of symptoms since the Veteran's active service.

The Veteran was granted a 50 percent rating for chronic post-traumatic headaches and a 10 percent rating for allergic rhinitis from July 29, 2014, to April 29, 2016. The claim for a higher rating for allergic rhinitis was denied.

The Board granted service connection for a back disability but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

The Board remands the claims for a VA examination to assess the severity of the Veteran's bilateral pes planus, sinusitis, and low back disability.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and remanded the claims for increased ratings and service connection for various disabilities due to insufficient evidence.

The Board granted service connection for left foot pes planus, right foot pes planus, left foot plantar fasciitis, right foot plantar fasciitis, left foot tinea pedis, right foot tinea pedis, and bilateral tinnitus. The claims for major depressive disorder, anxiety disorder, and lumbar strain were remanded.

The Board granted service connection for headaches and an earlier effective date for a facial scar of the left eye, while denying or remanding claims for other conditions.

The Board granted service connection for low back disability, secondary to left knee joint osteoarthritis and an initial 50 percent rating for migraine headaches due to very frequent completely prostrating attacks that are productive of severe economic inadaptability.

The Board granted service connection for a lumbar spine disability, diagnosed as degenerative arthritis. The left knee and gastrointestinal (stomach) disabilities were remanded for further evidence.

The Board granted service connection for a bilateral foot disability, back disability, right shoulder disability, and right hip disability on a direct basis.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, as well as remanded several other claims.

The Board granted an initial disability rating of 40 percent for the lumbar spine disability and an effective date of October 30, 2010, for service connection of radiculopathy of the right lower extremity.

The Board granted the petition to reopen and readjudicate the claim for service connection for a back disorder, as well as granting service connection for a left shoulder disorder.

The Board denied an effective date prior to February 16, 2011 for the grant of service connection for lumbar strain and remanded issues related to a higher rating and TDIU.

The Board granted service connection for low back pain, a left knee condition, and an acquired psychiatric disorder, including generalized anxiety disorder and alcohol use disorder.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) as the evidence did not establish that his service-connected disabilities had precluded him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) secondary to the Veteran's service-connected sleep myoclonus, but denied increased ratings and earlier effective dates for other conditions.

The Board granted the readjudication of the claim for shaving issues/razor bumps and denied service connection for various other conditions, including a neck condition, left shoulder condition, GERD, headaches, bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, left upper extremity nerve condition, sleep apnea, urinary frequency, erectile dysfunction, asthma, PTSD, as well as remanding claims for a low back disability, right foot disability, and an acquired psychiatric disorder.

The Board granted service connection for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected low back strain, a right ankle disability as secondary to her service-connected left ankle sprain, and assigned a rating of 20 percent for the Veteran's low back strain.