Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2025

The Board denied the veteran's claims for a rating in excess of 20 percent for his service-connected low back strain and thoracolumbar spine multilevel osteoarthritis, as well as for service connection for lung pathology.

The Board granted an increased disability rating of 40 percent for degenerative disc disease and a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.

The Board granted service connection for lumbosacral strain as secondary to the Veteran's left knee disability based on a positive medical nexus opinion.

The Board remands the claim for special monthly compensation based on aid and attendance due to missing relevant medical information necessary to make an informed conclusion.

The Board denied an effective date prior to May 3, 2021 for the award of service connection for various disabilities and DEA benefits.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for a heart disorder, bilateral ingrown toenails, bilateral flatfeet, thoracolumbar spine disorder, and sleep apnea to verify the Veteran's duty status during certain periods of service.

The appeal for service connection for PTSD is dismissed as moot because the Veteran's psychological symptoms are part of and subsumed by his service-connected acquired psychiatric disability.

The Board denied higher ratings for the veteran's knee, shoulder, and lumbosacral conditions but granted a separate 10 percent rating for left knee instability. The appeal of a proposed reduction for PTSD from 50 percent to 30 percent was dismissed.

The Board granted earlier effective dates for service connection of right knee strain, lower extremity radiculopathies, and DEA benefits, but denied earlier effective dates for erectile dysfunction and special monthly compensation.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for a compensable rating for his right knee scar and bilateral hearing loss, and remanded the claims for service connection for intervertebral disc syndrome of the lumbar spine as secondary to Osgood-Schlatter's disease of the right knee and left knee patellar tendinitis as due to the same.

The Board remands the claims for a higher initial rating for left knee and back disabilities due to an inadequate medical examination.

The Board remands the case for an additional medical opinion to determine the etiology of the Veteran's back disorder, including his diagnosed lumbosacral strain.

The appeal for service connection for hypertension, sinusitis, and an earlier effective date and a higher initial evaluation for obstructive sleep apnea was dismissed. The claims for dry cough, migraines, rhinitis, and chronic lumbosacral strain (claimed as back pains) were remanded for further development.

The Board denied service connection for emphysema, an acquired psychiatric disorder, a compensable rating for migraine headaches, and higher ratings for TBI, lumbar spine, and cervical spine disabilities.

The Board denied service connection for sinusitis due to the lack of evidence showing a current diagnosis and no in-service incurrence or aggravation. The claim for lumbar degenerative disc disease (DDD) was remanded for further examination.

The Board granted eligibility for the direct payment of attorney fees to the appellant from benefits resulting from a 70 percent rating for panic disorder without agoraphobia and a 20 percent rating for lumbosacral strain, but denied such eligibility for pes planus and right elbow tendinitis.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for lumbosacral strain and cervical degenerative arthritis with degenerative disc disease other than IVDS and spinal stenosis due to inadequate medical opinions and missing service treatment records.

The Board remands the claims for a jaw disorder, low back disability, and right eye disorder to the AOJ for further development.

The Board denied the Veteran's appeal for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities, finding that he was not precluded from all types of substantially gainful employment consistent with his background and education.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and granted service connection for osteoarthritis of the left and right knees, limitation of extension.