Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2025

The Board dismissed the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, hypertension, and shortness of breath as untimely. The claim for a back disability was remanded for further development.

The Board dismissed the claims for service connection for bronchial asthma, bilateral knee strain, and lumbosacral strain due to a procedural defect in docketing.

The appeal was withdrawn by the Veteran before the Board promulgated a decision.

The Board denied a disability rating greater than 10 percent for tinnitus and a rating greater than 20 percent for lumbosacral strain, but granted a 20 percent rating for left lower extremity sciatic radiculopathy and right lower extremity sciatic radiculopathy.

The Board dismissed the claim for compensation for right Achilles tendon rupture, also claimed as problems to the right leg, hip and lumbar spine, due to a prohibited concurrent election of review.

The Board granted service connection for generalized anxiety disorder and denied service connection for a lower back disorder. The claims for depression, substance abuse disorder, and a compensable initial rating for bilateral hearing loss were dismissed.

The Board denied an effective date prior to December 4, 2024, for the grant of service connection for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine and denied initial compensable ratings for bilateral hearing loss and a lumbar spine disability. However, it granted a 20 percent rating for right lower extremity radiculopathy associated with the service-connected lumbar spine disability.

The Board denied service connection for right ankle, left ankle, back disability, and other conditions as there is no evidence of a current disability related to the Veteran's military service.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including diabetes mellitus, type II, coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, hypertension, asthma/lung disease, vision disability, bilateral plantar fasciitis, leukocytosis, kidney disease/kidney stones, enlarged prostate, sleep apnea, rheumatoid arthritis, lumbar spine disability, right ankle disability, and left ankle disability.

The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, a right knee disorder, and a lumbar spine disorder.

The Board granted a 40 percent disability rating for right and left lower extremity radiculopathy, as well as separate ratings of 10 to 20 percent for various nerve conditions. The back disability was denied a higher rating.

The Board granted a 30 percent rating for the Veteran's right upper extremity nerve damage and denied an increased rating for left upper extremity nerve damage. Other issues were remanded.

The Board remands the claim for a lumbar spine disorder to obtain an addendum VA opinion that addresses the etiology of each of the Veteran's lumbar spine disorders.

The appeal was dismissed due to the Veteran's death, as an appellant's claim does not survive their death.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and other benefits, finding that the evidence did not support higher ratings or additional compensation.

The Board denied increased ratings for the Veteran's lumbar spine, bilateral foot, and right thumb disabilities prior to certain dates but granted a 40% rating for his lumbar spine disability effective October 29, 2020.

The Board denied the claims for increased ratings pertaining to the Veteran's service-connected low back disability and associated radiculopathy of the LLE, except as noted for a 60 percent rating from December 2, 2023.

The Board denied service connection for a heart disability, finding no current diagnosis and that the Veteran's reported symptoms were not supported by medical evidence. The issues of service connection for a low back disability and entitlement to TDIU are remanded.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for a low back disability and arthritis, to include bilateral hips and knees, due to an inadequate VA examination.

The Board remands the claims for a higher rating for lumbar spine disability, lower extremity radiculopathy, and TDIU due to insufficient evidence and non-compliance with previous remand instructions.