Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2025

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including a liver condition, lumbar spine condition, and other extremity conditions. The denial was based on the lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board granted service connection for a left shoulder disability and increased the ratings for lumbar spine, sciatic nerve radiculopathy (bilateral), femoral nerve radiculopathy (bilateral), and urinary disorder disabilities.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for a thoracolumbar spine disability and left foot disability to obtain additional medical opinions.

The Board remands the issues of service connection for degenerative disc disease and left shoulder impingement syndrome to ensure that private treatment records identified by the Veteran have been obtained.

The Board remands the claims for an acquired psychiatric disorder and a low back disability to provide new medical examinations, verify stressors, and obtain private treatment records.

The Board denied entitlement to an initial rating in excess of 30 percent for cervical strain and a rating in excess of 40 percent for lumbar strain, both on and off the extraschedular basis.

The Board remands the Veteran's claim for a rating higher than 20 percent for lumbar spine disability due to an inadequate VA examination.

The Board granted service connection for a low back disorder, finding that the evidence is in equipoise regarding whether the Veteran's low back disability was aggravated by his service-connected right knee disabilities.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for a right knee disorder, left knee disorder and lumbar spine disorder to the AOJ for additional development.

The Board granted service connection for a left shoulder disability, finding it related to the Veteran's service-connected right shoulder disability. The back disability claim was denied.

The Board remands the Veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities, including a neck disability, back disability, right and left lower extremity radiculopathy, right hand disability, and right foot disability, as additional development is required to address causation and aggravation.

The Board denied service connection for PTSD and remanded the claims for an increased rating of a right forearm disability and service connection for a lumbar spine disability.

The Board remands the case for additional development to address the severity of the Veteran's low back disability prior and after June 19, 2013.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for back disability, sciatica of the right lower extremity, and sciatica of the left lower extremity due to an incomplete VA examination.

The Board remands the case to secure a VA medical opinion that addresses whether the Veteran's sleep apnea is secondary to his service-connected disabilities, including degenerative disc disease and intervertebral disc syndrome of the lumbar spine, status post laminotomy and partial diskectomy; left shoulder, status post total shoulder arthroplasty; right shoulder tendonitis; radiculopathy of the left lower extremity; right lower extremity radiculopathy; left foot first and second toe numbness, status post benign peripheral nerve sheath tumor removal; and/or bipolar disorder with mixed features and ADHD in near total remission.

The Board remands the claims for a low back disorder and hernia to obtain additional medical opinions as required by previous remand directives.

The Board denied ratings in excess of the current assigned ratings for cervical and lumbar spine disabilities.

The Board granted a 40 percent rating for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy prior to August 22, 2024, but denied a higher rating on and after that date.

The Board remands the claim for a new VA examination and any additional necessary development due to an inadequate medical opinion regarding the Veteran's back disability.

The Veteran was granted a rating of 70 percent for an acquired psychiatric disability and 40 percent for a lumbar spine disability, effective from April 21, 2021, to June 24, 2024.