Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2025

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for asthma, bilateral pes planus, migraine headaches, and low back disability due to his failure to report for scheduled VA examinations without good cause.

The Board granted service connection for a lower back disorder, a neck disorder, and a left index finger disorder. The Board also granted an initial rating of 10 percent for temporomandibular joint dysfunction.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of August 20, 2019 for the grant of a 30 percent evaluation for service-connected dizziness was granted.

The Board granted service connection for tinnitus, denied service connection for a low back disability and an acquired psychiatric disability, and remanded the claim for a skin disability of the face.

The appeal was granted for service connection of a lumbar spine disability, radiculopathy of the left lower extremity, and a right wrist disability due to new evidence. Tinnitus was granted on direct service connection.

The Board remands the case to correct a pre-decisional duty to assist error by obtaining private treatment records.

The Board denied a rating in excess of 20 percent for degenerative arthritis of the spine to include degenerative disc disease other than intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS) based on the evidence showing that forward flexion has been limited to no less than 45 degrees, which is greater than the 30 degrees required for a higher rating.

The appeal for an earlier effective date of September 26, 2023, was dismissed as moot because the benefit sought had already been granted.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for various disabilities, including an acquired psychiatric disorder and multiple musculoskeletal and respiratory conditions, to ensure compliance with VA's duty to assist by obtaining necessary medical examinations.

The Board denied service connection for a scar on the right big toe region and denied increased ratings for various service-connected conditions, including right hip strain and right knee osteoarthritis. The Board also remanded several issues for further development.

The veteran was granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board granted a 30 percent disability rating for sarcoidosis from February 28, 2023, and denied higher ratings for lumbar spine degenerative arthritis, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and major depressive disorder with generalized anxiety disorder.

The Board remands the claims for further development and readjudication, including obtaining new evidence and opinions.

The Board remands the claims for a new VA medical opinion to address the severity of, and functional impairment resulting from, the Veteran's low back and right lower extremity radiculopathy disabilities without considering the ameliorative effects of medication.

The Board granted an effective date of October 24, 2022 for the assignment of a 40 percent rating for service-connected lumbar spine degenerative arthritis with muscle spasm and 20 percent ratings for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy (sciatic nerve).

The Board remands the claim for service connection of degenerative disc disease to request a medical opinion on whether it is related to an injury sustained during inactive duty for training in 2017.

The Board remands the Veteran's claims for a more contemporaneous examination to determine the current severity of his service-connected conditions.

The Board denied service connection for left ear hearing loss and back disability, as well as earlier effective dates for the awards of service connection for right ear hearing loss and tinnitus, and initial ratings for right ear hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board denied service connection for left ear hearing loss and back disability, as well as earlier effective dates for the awards of service connection for right ear hearing loss and tinnitus, and initial ratings for right ear hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board granted service connection for a right shoulder disability and increased the rating for obstructive sleep apnea to 50 percent, while denying service connection for hypertension and other claims.