Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2025

The Board remands the Veteran's claims for service connection to correct pre-decisional duty to assist errors.

The Board denied service connection for depression, a lumbar spine condition, and a cervical spine condition. The Veteran's claims for an earlier effective date for generalized anxiety disorder with panic disorder and tinnitus were also denied. Additionally, the Board denied ratings in excess of 70 percent for the service-connected generalized anxiety disorder with panic disorder, service connection for vitamin D deficiency, and increased ratings for various knee conditions.

The Board granted effective dates of September 27, 2017, for the award of service connection for lumbar degenerative disc disease with ankylosis spondylitis and cervical degenerative disc disease with ankylosis spondylitis, left hip arthritis, and renal cell carcinoma. The decision also granted a 10 percent disability rating for hypertension and a TDIU on and after December 4, 2018.

The Board granted service connection for tinnitus and tension headaches but denied service connection for a lower back condition.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including back condition, lower extremity radiculopathy, left knee condition, and foot conditions, preclude him from securing and maintaining all forms of substantially gainful employment.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for right knee strain, left knee strain, and lumbosacral strain as the July 2023 VA medical opinions are found to be inadequate.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including lumbosacral strain and right lower extremity radiculopathy, sciatic nerve, have precluded him from being able to maintain substantially gainful employment.

The Board remands the claim for a low back disorder to correct a duty to assist error, specifically failing to provide a VA examination.

The Board granted an effective date of November 19, 2019, for the grant of service connection for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine with degenerative arthritis and left lower extremity radiculopathies but denied earlier effective dates for other conditions.

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

The Board granted service connection for lumbosacral degenerative arthritis and strain based on the Veteran's continuous symptoms since separation from service.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD and major depressive disorder with anxious distress, as well as left knee strain status post arthroscopic surgery, right knee strain status post arthroscopic surgery, and lumbosacral strain with IVDS, to include as secondary to service-connected bilateral hip disabilities, due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors.

The Board granted service connection for the Veteran's lumbosacral strain and degenerative arthritis of the spine, finding that it was caused by his active service.

The Board granted service connection for lumbosacral strain and left hip condition, but denied service connection for a right shoulder condition, hypertension, right hip condition, and skin condition with recurring callouses.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for a left ankle condition, hearing loss, and back condition to correct pre-decisional errors, specifically failing to provide adequate VA examinations and medical opinions.

The Board denied an earlier effective date for lumbar laminectomy scar residuals, restored the 30 percent rating for nephrectomy scar residuals, and denied a compensable rating for lumbar laminectomy scar residuals. The cervical spine claims were remanded.

The Board granted an effective date of July 25, 2016, for the grant of service connection and ratings for PTSD, lumbosacral strain, degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine, intervertebral disc syndrome, right lower extremity radiculopathy, and left lower extremity radiculopathy.

The Board granted an earlier effective date of July 18, 2023, for the award of a 100 percent rating for liver cancer and SMC housebound.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for a low back condition and right lower extremity radiculopathy as new VA examinations are needed to determine their nature and etiology.

The Board denied service connection for various disabilities and a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, as well as a higher rating for tinnitus.