Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2025

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased rating and service connection, finding no evidence of current disabilities related to his active service.

The Board remands the claim for an addendum medical opinion to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's lumbosacral strain, as the previous VA examiner violated Buchanan v. Nicholson by relying solely on the absence of treatment.

The Board granted service connection for low back disability, to include pain, and left and right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, to include as due to the service-connected back disability.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for various conditions, including migraines, OSA, a neck condition, left ankle sprain, low back strain, bilateral foot and knee conditions, right shoulder condition, left shoulder condition, and bilateral hearing loss, as VA failed to provide adequate examinations.

The Board granted readjudication of the claim for service connection for a left shoulder disorder and remanded claims for service connection for right shoulder, back, neck, and acquired psychiatric disorders.

The Board granted service connection for degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the lumbar spine as secondary to service-connected impairment of the left knee with arthritis and impairment of the right knee with arthritis.

The Board granted a 10 percent rating for the Veteran's painful scar associated with his cervical spine disability from December 4, 2019, and remanded other issues for further development.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, remanding some issues for further development.

The Board granted service connection for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, radiculopathy impacting both lower extremities on a secondary basis to the back disability, and right knee degenerative arthritis.

The Board granted service connection for several conditions, including lumbar condition and PTSD, with specific ratings and effective dates.

The Board denied an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for the Veteran's thoracolumbar strain to include degenerative arthritis, degenerative disc disease other than intervertebral disc syndrome, and spinal stenosis based on the current level of impairment.

The Board denied increased ratings for the Veteran's back disability, radiculopathy of both lower extremities, limitation of pronation and flexion of the right elbow, and scarring, but granted a 40 percent rating from March 26, 2024 to September 17, 2024.

The Board granted service connection for left shoulder strain, finding that the evidence was at least in approximate balance as to whether the Veteran's current left shoulder disability had its onset during his active service.

The Board granted service connection for low back and right shoulder conditions based on new and relevant evidence, but denied service connection for hypothyroidism.

The Board granted service connection for a lumbosacral strain as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected right ankle disability, and for chronic headaches. The claims for bilateral hearing loss, a disorder associated with interpersonally aggressive behavior such as intermittent explosive disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), an increased rating for unspecified anxiety disorder, and an increased rating for the right ankle disability were denied.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for a lumbar spine condition and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) to obtain additional medical opinions addressing secondary service connection theories.

The Board denied an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for a left knee disorder and prior to May 1, 2024, for a low back disorder. However, as of May 1, 2024, the Veteran was granted a 40 percent rating for his low back disorder.

The Board denied service connection for a deviated nasal septum and denied increased ratings for the back, right lower extremity lumbar radiculopathy, and left lower extremity lumbar radiculopathy. The Board also denied earlier effective dates for chronic sinusitis and an increased rating for the back disability.

The Board remands the claim for an initial disability rating higher than 40 percent for lumbar intervertebral disc syndrome, degenerative arthritis, degenerative disc disease, spondylosis with moderate-severe foraminal spinal stenosis and scoliosis to obtain a retrospective medical opinion addressing the severity of the Veteran's lumbar spine disability from August 24, 2012, to June 24, 2020.

The Board vacated its September 4, 2025 decision and denied an effective date prior to August 2, 2023, for the grant of a 40 percent rating for degenerative disc disease with L5/S1 disc space narrowing.