Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2025

The Board denied entitlement to Dependency and Indemnity Compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1318 as the Veteran did not meet the required criteria for a continuous total disability rating.

The Veteran's eligibility for specially adapted housing (SAH) is granted due to the loss of use of both lower extremities resulting from service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran withdrew his claims seeking higher ratings for service-connected migraines, deviated septum, upper and lower extremity lipomas, and lumbosacral and thoracic strain.

The Board granted service connection for a thoracolumbar spine disability and left foot plantar fasciitis, but denied it for right foot plantar fasciitis.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for an earlier effective date, a higher rating for lumbar spine degenerative arthritis, and special monthly compensation based on a factual need for regular aid and attendance. However, it granted a 50 percent rating for migraine headaches prior to December 1, 2020.

The Board granted service connection for tinnitus and remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, recurrent lumbar spine disability, and recurrent foot disability.

The Board denied a rating in excess of 40 percent prior to February 22, 2021, and in excess of 20 percent after February 22, 2021, for lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis and intervertebral disc syndrome.

The Board granted service connection for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and denied service connection for diverticulitis, while dismissing the claim for a lumbar spine disability.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for a compensable evaluation for varicocele, special monthly compensation based on loss of use of a creative organ, and service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The claim for service connection for lumbosacral pain was remanded.

The appeal for VA disability benefits is dismissed due to the Veteran's failure to properly identify the specific issues he wishes to appeal.

The Board denied service connection for all the conditions claimed by the Veteran, as there was no evidence of a current disability or that any of these conditions were related to his military service.

The Board denied service connection for a low back condition and shortness of breath, finding no evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's active service. The anxiety condition was remanded for further development.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for back disability as there is no evidence that the condition was present during active duty or manifested to a compensable degree within one year of separation, and the earliest indication of the condition was decades after discharge.

The Board granted service connection for a lumbar spine disability, finding that the Veteran's current condition is related to his active duty service.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for ankle pain, low back strain, and right fibula pain to correct a pre-decisional duty to assist error and obtain necessary examinations.

The Board granted service connection for a mood disorder and a back disability, both as secondary to the Veteran's already service-connected conditions.

The Board denied higher ratings for the Veteran's cervical spine degenerative disc disease and bilateral upper extremity cervical radiculopathy as there was no evidence of unfavorable ankylosis or other criteria that would warrant a higher rating.

The Board granted a 40 percent evaluation for the Veteran's back disability and a separate, additional 10 percent rating for left knee instability, while denying a compensable evaluation for surgical scars of the left knee and back.

The Board granted service connection for a low back condition, diagnosed as lumbar spondylosis, and denied service connection for a right knee condition including strain. The decision also remanded the issue of service connection for right carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS).

The Board remands the claim for service connection for low back strain to correct pre-decisional errors in the nexus opinions.