Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2025

The Board remands the claims for further development and readjudication by the agency of original jurisdiction.

The Board granted service connection for hypertension as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected unspecified depressive disorder, and assigned a 60% rating. The Board also granted initial ratings of 20% for right lower extremity sciatic nerve disorder and 60% for lumbosacral strain with degenerative disc disease, and granted TDIU.

The Board is remanding the matter to obtain a retrospective opinion regarding the severity of the Veteran's thoracolumbar spine disability for the period prior to August 22, 2019.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and total disability based on individual unemployability, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating or TDIU.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a low back disorder, finding that there was no evidence to support a causal relationship between the current disability and an in-service injury or event.

The Board denied service connection for lumbar spine degenerative disc disease, finding no evidence linking the condition to the Veteran's service or any incident therein.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for back, right shoulder, and bilateral knee disabilities to obtain outstanding service records and adequate medical opinions.

The Board remands the claims for a lumbar spine disability rating and TDIU due to an inadequate examination report.

The Board granted earlier effective dates for the grant of service connection and increased rating for various disabilities, all starting from January 1, 2023.

The Veteran's request for higher-level review of the denial of her claim for service connection for back pain was denied as it was untimely.

The Board remands the matter of entitlement to specially adapted housing for a VA examination to determine the current severity of the Veteran's service-connected disabilities.

The Board remands the service connection claim for a back disability to obtain an addendum opinion addressing the etiology of the appellant's low back disability.

The veteran's appeal requests for service connection for various conditions were denied as the appeals were not timely filed.

The Board granted service connection for a low back disability, diagnosed as lumbosacral strain, finding that it was aggravated by the Veteran's service-connected bilateral pes planus.

The Board denied service connection for allergic rhinitis, pseudofolliculitis barbae (PFB), lumbosacral strain with intervertebral disc syndrome, bilateral knee pain, neck pain, right shoulder pain, and osteoarthritis of the whole body as there was no evidence to support a finding that any of these conditions began during active service or were otherwise related to an in-service injury.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, finding that the evidence did not support higher ratings or service connection.

The Board granted service connection for irritable bowel syndrome and assigned initial ratings of 30 percent for migraines, 20 percent for each ankle condition, and 40 percent for lumbar strain. Effective dates earlier than July 7, 2022, were denied for the ankle, migraine, and lumbar strain conditions, while an effective date of August 17, 2022, was granted for sinusitis.

The Board denied a rating higher than 10 percent for both the lumbosacral strain and right knee strain, as the evidence did not support a higher rating under applicable criteria.

The appeal for eligibility for the direct payment of fees based on past-due benefits awarded in a November 2024 Rating Decision was dismissed due to the appellant's intent to withdraw the issue on appeal.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for a lumbar spine disorder and a right knee disorder to obtain additional medical opinions.