Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2025

The Board remands the claim for a rating in excess of 10 percent for lumbosacral strain to obtain outstanding VA treatment records and a VA addendum medical opinion.

The appeal of the proposed action to sever service connection for a chronic left foot disability, to include corns and calluses, was dismissed. The Board also denied service connection for an allergen disability and remanded several other claims for further development.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for lumbosacral strain, left and right shoulder strains, right knee strain, left knee strain, right hand fracture, and cervical strain to ensure a thorough medical examination is conducted.

The appeal was granted for readjudicating the back condition claim, but denied for diabetes mellitus and prostate cancer. The claims for diabetes and prostate cancer were remanded.

The Board dismissed the claim for service connection for a lumbosacral strain due to an untimely Notice of Disagreement and remanded the tinnitus claim for further development.

The Board remands the claims for a higher disability rating for lumbosacral strain and sciatic radiculopathy of the left lower extremity due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.

The Board granted service connection for a right knee disability, diagnosed as right knee osteoarthritis, but remanded claims for a back disability and an acquired psychiatric disability.

The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include anxiety and depression, and a chronic back disorder, both for the purposes of accrued benefits only.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and a lumbar spine disability to the AOJ for further development.

The Board granted service connection for lumbosacral strain and left lower extremity radiculopathy, but remanded the claims for other lumbar spine disabilities, sinus disability, left knee disability, bilateral foot disability, left shoulder disability, and a compensable evaluation for a left arm wrist burn.

The Board denied increased ratings for the Veteran's knee and hip disabilities, granted a 20% rating for right knee semilunar cartilage condition and left knee semilunar cartilage condition, and denied service connection for hypertension and type II diabetes mellitus.

The Board granted a 40 percent rating for the Veteran's thoracolumbar spine disability from July 30, 2001, to April 7, 2006; denied a rating in excess of 60 percent for the same condition from April 7, 2006, to February 25, 2008; granted a 60 percent rating from February 25, 2008; and granted a 20 percent rating for erectile dysfunction and urinary dysfunction.

The Board granted service connection for lumbar degenerative arthritis with spinal stenosis, cervical degenerative arthritis with spinal stenosis, peripheral neuropathy of the right and left lower extremities as secondary to the lumbar condition, but denied a left leg disability other than neuropathy. Parkinson's disease was remanded.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for IVDS with degenerative arthritis and lumbar strain was granted, resulting in a 40 percent rating before June 17, 2020, and a 50 percent rating from that date.

The Board remands the case for additional medical opinions to ensure compliance with prior remand directives and due to recent caselaw changes.

The Board remands the claims for further development, including obtaining additional medical opinions and records to ensure a complete record is available for appellate review.

The Board denied a disability rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD prior to February 26, 2020, and denied increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss, low back disability, radiculopathy of the left lower extremity, right knee disability, and left knee disability. The Board granted a separate evaluation of 20 percent for radiculopathy of the right lower extremity from February 14, 2020, and separate evaluations of 10 percent for instability and limitation of extension in both knees starting on specific dates.

The Board remands the issues of whether there was clear and unmistakable error (CUE) in prior rating decisions that denied service connection for various conditions, as an SOC has not yet been issued.

The Board granted an effective date of March 31, 2016, for the award of TDIU based on a finding that the Veteran detrimentally relied on misleading VA communications.

The Board denied an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for lumbosacral strain as the Veteran's back disability did not meet the criteria for a higher rating.