Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2025

The Board remands the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, an acquired psychiatric disorder, and a lower back condition due to insufficient development of evidence.

The Board denied service connection for a right knee disability and a low back disability, finding no evidence of chronic conditions in service or a relationship to an in-service injury.

The Board remands the claims for a lumbar spine disability and hip disorders due to non-compliance with previous remand instructions.

The Board granted service connection for a low back disability, finding it at least as likely as not that the Veteran's condition was incurred in or caused by service.

The Board remands the issues of entitlement to service connection for a recurrent lumbosacral spine disability and a recurrent disability manifested by memory loss for additional VA examinations.

The Board granted a 40 percent rating for the thoracolumbar spine disability from October 13, 2009, to July 26, 2017.

The case is remanded for additional evidentiary development and discussion consistent with the terms of a Joint Motion for Partial Remand.

The Board remands the issues for further development, including obtaining outstanding medical records and scheduling appropriate VA examinations to determine the severity of the Veteran's service-connected conditions.

The Board remands the Veteran's claims for an increased rating and TDIU due to a lumbar spine disability because of incomplete development.

The Veteran was granted a 40 percent rating for his lumbosacral strain effective July 8, 2015, and the claim for an earlier effective date for total disability based on individual unemployability was denied.

The Board granted restoration of a 40 percent rating for the Veteran's lumbar spine disability effective October 1, 2022, and denied ratings in excess of 20 percent prior to July 15, 2019, and in excess of 40 percent thereafter. The issues related to right knee instability and other claims were remanded.

The Board remands the claim for a low back disability to obtain an adequate VA examination, as the previous one was inadequate due to errors in identifying the veteran's combat status and failing to order necessary testing.

The Board remands the Veteran's claims for a compensable disability rating for left ear hearing loss and service connection for various disabilities, including an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, due to errors in scheduling VA examinations.

The Board granted earlier effective dates of January 18, 2022, for the 40 percent ratings for radiculopathy of the right and left lower extremities and lumbosacral spine disability, as well as a 10 percent rating for allergic rhinitis. The claims for increased ratings were denied.

The Board remands the Veteran's claim for service connection for lumbar spondylosis due to a need for a VA examination to evaluate the nature and etiology of the condition in relation to a preexisting injury.

The Board granted service connection for the back condition but denied service connection for left ankle, right ankle, and left leg conditions.

The Board granted service connection for right and left knee instability before June 12, 2023, and an evaluation of 40 percent for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine. The claim for a higher rating for posttraumatic stress disorder with major depressive disorder was denied.

The appeal for service connection for multiple conditions was dismissed by the Veteran through his authorized representative.

The Board granted service connection for a low back disability, left knee disability, right ankle disability, chronic sinusitis, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) as they were found to have onset in service.

The Board denied the claims for service connection for chronic back condition, chronic eye condition, left knee disability, and right knee disability. The claim for chronic sinusitis was remanded for further development.