Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2015

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining a medical opinion from Dr. Koon regarding the etiology of the appellant's current low back disability and attempting to obtain private treatment records.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the Veteran's foot and back conditions. The claims will be reconsidered based on the additional evidence.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining additional medical records and providing an addendum opinion from a VA examiner regarding whether the Veteran's current low back disability relates to his in-service motor vehicle accident.

The Board found that the Veteran's cervical spine disability did not manifest during or as a result of active service and was not caused or aggravated by his service-connected lumbosacral spine disability or TBI.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus was not incurred in or aggravated by service, and denied his claim. The low back disability issue is remanded for further development.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development of his claims, including obtaining medical opinions and seeking relevant records. The case will be returned to the Board for further consideration.

The Veteran's appeals for higher ratings for lumbar strain, right knee strain, and right shoulder strain from December 30, 2008 were denied as his conditions did not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation under the applicable rating schedule.

The Board has granted service connection for a lumbar spine disability and peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity. The issues of an increased rating for PTSD, severance of service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity, and TDIU are remanded.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development to obtain missing service records and a medical opinion regarding the Veteran's current back and neck disabilities.

The Board has granted service connection for a right ankle disability, but the issue of service connection for a low back disorder is remanded due to the need for additional development.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current disability related to his military service for any of the claimed conditions, and thus denied all claims.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his lumbar spine disability is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining relevant medical records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection are not properly adjudicated and requires additional development, including obtaining medical records and a VA examination.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of a mid-back condition and therefore, service connection for this condition is denied.

The Veteran's bilateral lumbar radiculopathy is found to be related to his service-connected lumbar strain with degenerative disc disease L1-L2, and thus service connection for this condition is granted.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and having a VA examiner reconsider his opinions in light of new evidence submitted by the Veteran. The claims will be readjudicated after this.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings have been granted, with the exception of his claim for a TDIU rating. The Veteran is now receiving the maximum schedular evaluations for all service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability and associated left radiculopathy are currently rated at 10 percent, which is the maximum schedular rating available for these conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions do not meet the schedular percentage requirements for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability, and there is no evidence that he is unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's initial rating for hypothyroidism has been increased to 100 percent effective the date of the decision. For the period prior to August 21, 2014, the Veteran's lumbar strain was rated at 20 percent.