Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Board granted service connection for COPD and remanded the claims for lumbar spine condition, OSA, TIA, and BHL.

The veteran's appeal was denied as the Board Appeal request was not timely filed within one year of the rating decisions issued on August 17, 2022, November 16, 2022, July 7, 2023, November 3, 2023, December 12, 2023, and March 14, 2024.

The Board remands the veteran's claims for service connection for left ankle, left knee, low back, right ankle, and right knee disabilities secondary to bilateral pes planus due to a need for additional medical opinions.

The Board granted service connection for lumbar strain and thoracolumbar scoliosis, as well as cervical lordosis, cervical disc disease, and cervical degenerative arthritis, based on the evidence showing a relationship to the Veteran's active duty.

The Board remands the claims for further development, including obtaining additional VA treatment records from 1974 to 2023.

The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, including a low back disability, facial scars, GERD, hypertension, nerve disorders of the lower extremities, shoulder disabilities, OSA, TMJ, tooth disorder, and voiding dysfunction, as there was no evidence of current diagnoses or in-service incurrence.

The Board remands the claim for service connection for a lower back disability to allow for initial AOJ adjudication on the merits, as new and relevant evidence has been received since the last denial in January 2012.

The Board granted an effective date of March 16, 2023, for ratings ranging from 10 to 50 percent for various service-connected conditions.

The Board denied service connection for urinary frequency and remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and TDIU. The lumbosacral strain was granted a 20 percent rating.

The Board remands the claims for a back disability, knee disability, and hypertension to obtain additional medical evidence.

The Board remands the claim for a retrospective medical opinion to assess the severity and manifestations of the Veteran's service-connected lumbosacral spine disability.

The Board denied service connection for degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine as there was no evidence of an in-service incurrence or a relationship to service.

The Board granted service connection for low back disability, bilateral lower extremity sciatica, and right shoulder strain based on the Veteran's credible lay statements and medical evidence.

The Veteran was granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability from December 15, 2020 to April 26, 2022 due to service-connected major depressive disorder, degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, and left sciatic nerve radiculopathy.

The Board remands the claims for a higher rating for thoracolumbar degenerative disc disease with lumbar spinal fusion and a compensable rating for lumbar scar status-post surgical fusion to obtain new VA examinations.

The Board granted service connection for herpes (cold sores) and denied service connection for chronic sinusitis, a back disability, left knee pain, left shoulder disability, chronic fatigue syndrome, right lower extremity restless leg syndrome, left lower extremity sciatic radiculopathy, left and right hand essential tremors, seborrheic dermatitis, allergic rhinitis, migraine headaches, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), hemorrhoids, right upper extremity radiculopathy, erectile dysfunction, and an increased rating for a psychiatric condition.

The Board denied a rating higher than 40 percent for the Veteran's lumbar spine disability but granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities prior to April 24, 2025.

The Board granted service connection for allergic rhinitis under the PACT Act and denied or remanded other claims.

The Board granted service connection for tinnitus, resolving doubt in the Veteran's favor. The other claims are remanded due to a duty to assist error.

The Board denied the motions for revision of the July 2015 rating decision on the basis of clear and unmistakable error (CUE) to assign higher disability ratings for cervical spine, thoracolumbar spine, right shoulder, and right elbow disabilities.