Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2025

The Board remands the claims for service connection for hypertension, OSA, low back disorder, left hip disorder, and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy to obtain additional medical evidence.

The Board granted service connection for left knee osteoarthritis, right knee degenerative joint disease (status post total knee replacement), degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine (status post cervical surgery), and degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine (status post lumbar surgery) based on evidence that these conditions had their onset during active service.

The Board granted service connection for diabetes mellitus type II, hypertension, hypothyroidism, prostate cancer, sleep apnea secondary to service-connected diabetes mellitus, tinea pedis, and lumbar spondylosis.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a back disorder, finding no evidence of an in-service injury or disease and no sufficient evidence to establish a nexus between the current disability and active duty.

The Board granted service connection for multiple conditions, including tinnitus, traumatic brain injury, post-concussion migraines, peripheral vestibular disorder, insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea, lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis and intervertebral disc syndrome thoracolumbar spine, lumbar right side sciatic nerve radiculopathy, lumbar left side sciatic nerve radiculopathy, cervical strain with degenerative arthritis and intervertebral disc syndrome, and cervical right upper extremity radiculopathy.

The Board denied the claims for increased ratings and remanded additional issues due to insufficient evidence.

The appeals for service connection for various conditions were dismissed due to the Veteran's untimely and improper submission of a VA Form 10182.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and an initial compensable rating for ED and circumcision with residual painful scar tissue, and remanded the claim for service connection for lumbosacral strain.

The Board granted a 40 percent evaluation for sciatic nerve radiculopathy of the right and left lower extremities, a 30 percent evaluation for femoral nerve radiculopathy of the right and left lower extremities, and a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU), but denied an increased evaluation in excess of 40 percent for spinal stenosis and lumbar intervertebral disc syndrome.

The Board granted compensation under the provisions of 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for status post lumbar surgeries with degenerative arthritis and IVDS, as the additional disabilities were not a reasonably foreseeable result of the VA medical care.

The Board granted an effective date of October 1, 1973, for the award of service connection for a lumbar spine disability but remanded the issue of entitlement to an initial rating in excess of 10 percent prior to April 4, 2022, and in excess of 40 percent thereafter.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for osteopenia of various areas, finding no relationship between his conditions and his military service.

The Board denied an earlier effective date for service connection for lumbosacral strain and remanded the issue of a higher initial rating.

The Board remands the claim for a lumbar spine disability to correct a pre-decisional duty to assist error, specifically to obtain an adequate medical opinion that considers the Veteran's lay reports of symptoms.

The Board granted service connection for a low back disability and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are related to his Reserve service duties.

The Board remands the claims for a higher disability rating for left wrist, lower back, right hip, and right shoulder disabilities, as well as an increased rating for left upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, to obtain a supplemental opinion that evaluates the baseline severity of these conditions without considering the effects of medication.

The Board granted service connection for multiple conditions, including bilateral foot disability, knee disability, ankle disability, cervical degenerative disc disease, spondylosis, and cervicalgia, secondary to a service-connected lumbar strain, as well as GERD. The claims of readjudication were also granted.

The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, including fatigue, bilateral eye disability, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, GERD, penile condition, left foot disability, and others. Some claims were remanded for further development.

The Veteran's service connection for migraine headaches was granted, while the evaluations for spine and right lower extremity disabilities were denied or maintained.

The Board granted restoration of a 20 percent rating for the service-connected lumbosacral strain, effective May 1, 2023. The other claims were denied.