Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2025

The Board remands the claims for service connection for a lumbar spine disability and radiculopathy of the bilateral lower extremities to obtain an examination and opinion.

The Board denied service connection for various disorders, including an acquired psychiatric disorder and disorders of the back, neck, right and left knee, and right and left feet, as there was no evidence to show that the Veteran has been diagnosed or treated for any of these disorders at any time during the pendency of the claim.

The Board granted service connection for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and remanded the claims for a lower back condition, an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD, and bilateral hearing loss.

The Board granted service connection for sinusitis, denied service connection for chronic adjustment disorder, and dismissed the appeal for lumbosacral or cervical strain (back pain) due to untimely notice of disagreement.

The Board remands the claim for service connection for a low back disability to correct an error in the duty to assist that occurred prior to the rating decision on appeal.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating or service connection for any of the conditions appealed.

The appeal regarding the timeliness of the December 18, 2023 VA Form 20-0996 was denied.

The appeal for service connection for sleep apnea, tinnitus, a bilateral foot disability, and a low back disability has been withdrawn by the Veteran.

The Board remands the claim for service connection of a back condition as secondary to PTSD due to an inadequate medical opinion.

The Board denied service connection for tinnitus and remanded the claims for bilateral foot condition, left ankle pain, left hip condition as secondary to bilateral foot condition, and low back condition as secondary to bilateral foot condition.

The Board remands the claim for a low back disability to obtain new medical opinions addressing secondary service connection, including whether obesity is an intermediate step between the Veteran's service-connected orthopedic disabilities and his low back disability.

The Board denied service connection for various psychiatric and physical conditions, finding that the Veteran's symptoms were part of her service-connected PTSD and major depressive disorder or not supported by the evidence.

The Board granted the restoration of a 20 percent evaluation for degenerative osteoarthritis of the low back, effective January 1, 2024, as the evidence did not show actual improvement in the Veteran's condition.

The Board granted service connection for lumbar spine degenerative disc disease, finding that the evidence is at least in approximate balance that it was incurred during active service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for thoracolumbar spine disorder and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathies, finding that the evidence did not support evaluations in excess of 10 percent prior to February 20, 2023 and in excess of 20 percent thereafter for the thoracolumbar spine disorder, and no more than mild incomplete paralysis for the lower extremity radiculopathies.

The Board remands the claim for service connection for cause of the Veteran's death to obtain a VA medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected lumbosacral strain and associated peripheral neuropathy contributed substantially or materially to his death from cardiovascular disease.

The Board denied service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia, finding that the evidence does not support a current diagnosis of these conditions. The low back disorder was remanded for further development.

The Veteran's schizoaffective disorder was granted a rating of 100 percent as of May 10, 2022, but no earlier. The effective date for the evaluation of the left and right ankle disabilities were granted prior to January 6, 2022.

The Board granted an effective date of February 16, 2022 for the grants of service connection for a lumbosacral strain and radiculopathy, left lower extremity, femoral nerve. The decision also remanded the issue of entitlement to an initial rating greater than 20 percent for a lumbosacral strain.

The Board granted service connection for degenerative disc disease other than intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS) based on the evidence showing that the Veteran's lumbar spine disorder first manifested in service and was incurred during service.