Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2025

The Board granted service connection for a lower back disability, resolving reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor.

The Board remands the claim for service connection for a back disability to obtain thorough addendum medical opinions addressing secondary service connection, including aggravation.

The veteran withdrew his appeals for a TDIU and service connection for left shoulder, neck, and back disabilities.

The Board denied a higher disability rating for the Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine and granted a separate 10 percent rating for left lower extremity sciatic neuropathy, which was found to be secondary to his service-connected back condition.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for an initial compensable rating for left ear hearing loss, service connection for right ear hearing loss and a left knee disability. The claim for a back disability was remanded for further development, as was the claim for a prostate condition.

The Board granted service connection for a low back disability and right elbow lateral epicondylitis based on the Veteran's combat service in Vietnam.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hip, knee, leg, neck and upper back, and shoulder disabilities as the evidence did not support a finding of current disability or nexus to active service.

The appeals regarding an increased rating for degenerative disc disease with intervertebral disc syndrome and service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder are dismissed as they are duplicative of claims already pending in the modernized review system.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for a back condition and neck condition to schedule VA examinations as there is evidence of an in-service incident and current symptoms, but no medical opinion linking the conditions to service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine, lumbosacral strain and degenerative arthritis, and right shoulder strain and degenerative arthritis as there was no evidence to support a finding that these conditions were incurred in or aggravated by active military service.

The Board granted service connection for lumbar degenerative disc disease secondary to the Veteran's left inferior and superior ramus stress fractures and bilateral pes planus.

The Board remands the claim for a supplemental medical opinion to address the Veteran's report of in-service back pain and training exercises.

The Board granted service connection for lumbosacral disc narrowing as it was found to be caused by the Veteran's service-connected bilateral ankle and bilateral knee conditions.

The Board denied an initial compensable rating for a scar, status-post laminectomy, and denied increased ratings for radiculopathy of the left and right lower extremities prior to January 4, 2022. However, it granted a 20% evaluation from that date for both conditions.

The Board granted readjudication of the service connection claim for a thoracolumbar spine disorder, but remanded the claims for radiculopathy.

The Board granted service connection for a lumbar spine condition, left lower extremity radiculopathy, right lower extremity radiculopathy, and scarring of the lumbar spine as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected right leg conditions.

The Board granted a 10 percent disability evaluation for cervical strain with spondylosis and restored the 40 percent evaluation for lumbosacral strain with lumbar disc disease, while denying higher ratings for all other conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected depressive disorder was granted a rating of 50 percent prior to August 18, 2021, and denied a higher rating from that date. The appeal for a rating in excess of 10 percent for distal left fibula was withdrawn.

The Board remands the claims for service connection of various conditions to correct duty to assist errors that occurred prior to the October 2021 rating decision and the July 2022 HLR rating decision on appeal.

The Board granted service connection for a left knee, right knee, left ankle, right ankle, back, and tinnitus disabilities. Service connection was also granted for prostate cancer and vocal cord cancer due to exposure to jet fuel, fumes, and smoke. An acquired psychiatric disorder was granted as secondary to the Veteran's orthopedic conditions.