Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2025

The Board granted service connection for lumbar spine degenerative changes as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities, but denied service connection for a right shoulder disorder.

The Board denied service connection for tinnitus and right ear hearing loss, remanded claims for left ear hearing loss, GERD, thoracolumbar spine condition, right knee condition, left knee condition, and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

The Board denied an initial compensable rating for right ankle surgical scars but granted a separate 10 percent rating for painful right ankle surgical scars. The Board also denied an initial rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD with amphetamine use disorder.

The Board grants service connection for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine based on continuity and chronicity.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for a psychiatric disability, hypertension, recurrent lumbar spine disability, and recurrent sleep disability to schedule VA examinations.

The Board granted service connection for a lumbar spine disability, to include HNP and DDD, resolving any reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor.

The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, to include anxiety, depression, severe alcohol use disorder and moderate cocaine use disorder due to military sexual trauma (MST), and granted increased ratings for certain service-connected disabilities. The claim for dizziness was dismissed, as was the entitlement to a TDIU.

The Board granted an initial 10 percent rating for a single right leg scar and remanded the remaining claims for further development.

The Board denied service connection for a lumbar spine disability and bilateral hearing loss due to lack of evidence supporting a link between the conditions and the Veteran's military service.

The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, including acute sinusitis, cervical spine strain, and various musculoskeletal injuries, as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions began during active service or are otherwise related to an in-service injury.

The Board granted an effective date of January 14, 2021 for the right hip disability and denied earlier effective dates for left hip osteoarthritis and low back ankylosing spondylitis and degenerative arthritis. The claims for increased ratings and TDIU were remanded.

The Veteran's service-connected lumbosacral strain with degenerative disc disease, alone, has precluded all substantially gainful employment for which his education and occupational experience would otherwise qualify him from June 1, 2017.

The Board denied a compensable rating for the Veteran's deviated nasal septum, residuals nose fracture and remanded several other issues including service connection for a cervical spine condition, ratings for back injury with degenerative disc disease and left wrist fracture, and TDIU.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for various conditions, including bilateral ankle disorders, diabetes mellitus, type II, a heart disorder, a right shoulder disorder, hypertension, a low back disorder, bladder cancer, and left and right lung disease, to obtain additional evidence regarding the Veteran's toxic exposure during service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a disability rating in excess of 50 percent after January 23, 2017, for his low back disability and also denied entitlement to a TDIU prior to November 3, 2020.

The Board remands the claim for service connection for a lumbar spine disability due to inadequate medical opinion.

The veteran withdrew all appeals, including those for earlier effective dates and increased disability ratings.

The Board granted earlier effective dates for the increased ratings of PTSD, DJD lumbar spine, and left ulnar neuropathy back to March 1, 2018.

The appeals for service connection for a back condition, back tumor/meningioma, and bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy were dismissed as the issues have already been granted in full.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a back condition and right hip condition, as there was insufficient evidence to establish a link between these conditions and his active duty service.