Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2015

The Board found that the Veteran's cervical spine disability was not caused by or aggravated by his service-connected lumbar spine disability, and thus denied both claims.

The Veteran's lumbosacral spine disability is currently rated at 20 percent, and the evidence does not support a higher rating based on current functional impairment or additional limitation of motion.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to schedule him for a videoconference hearing due to his failure to appear at the scheduled date. The case will be returned to the Board after the hearing.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for service connection of a back condition before the Board could make a decision.

The Veteran's service-connected lumbosacral strain with disc bulges is currently rated at 10 percent, the maximum schedular rating available under Diagnostic Code 5243. The evidence does not support a higher rating as there is no limitation of motion or other functional loss that would warrant such an increase.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient examination and opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's lumbar spine disorder, which may be related to service or a work injury. The Veteran will need to undergo another VA examination.

The Veteran's lumbar degenerative disc disease was rated at 20 percent from June 3, 2008, to February 14, 2013.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining treatment records and providing a VA examination to determine if the Veteran's lumbar spine disability is related to service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a VA social and industrial survey to assess his employability due to service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional examinations and development of his claims, including a review of VA treatment records and an assessment of the current severity of his right wrist and shoulder strains.

The Veteran's claim for service connection of a low back disorder is being remanded due to the need for additional medical examination and consideration of all evidence.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete development and need for additional medical opinions.

The Board has determined that the VA examination and opinion provided in October 2014 are inadequate for adjudication purposes, due to factual inaccuracies. The Veteran's service as an artillery loader is not addressed by the examiner.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Board has denied the claims for service connection for a back disorder and an acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that there is no evidence of in-service injury or disease related to these conditions.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining service treatment records and verifying active duty periods. The VA examiners are requested to provide an addendum opinion regarding the etiology of the claimed disabilities and their relationship to service.

The Veteran's degenerative disc disease of the L5-S1 with disc herniation was initially rated at 10 percent prior to February 12, 2015 and increased to 20 percent from that date. The current rating is the highest possible under the applicable rating criteria.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining medical opinions regarding the severity of his back disability and whether he suffers from intermittent radiculitis. The TDIU claim is also being remanded.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining VA and SSA records, scheduling a new VA examination, and readjudicating the appeal.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's TDIU and DEA claims were raised during the adjudicatory process of his underlying disability, post-discectomy and fusion of the lumbosacral spine. The effective dates for these awards are now set at August 1, 1992.