Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2017

The Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for various conditions, including degenerative disc disease of the lumbar and cervical spines, arthralgia of the right knee, peripheral artery disease, and hypertension have all been denied. The Board found that there is no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient medical opinions and incomplete evidence. The Veteran is asked to provide additional information and authorize VA to obtain relevant records.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU were denied. The Board found that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for a higher rating for her low back condition or radiculopathy, except for a separate 10 percent rating granted for right lower extremity radiculopathy from August 31, 2010 to March 10, 2014.

The Board has found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is service-connected, and he is entitled to a rating in excess of 20 percent for his lumbar spine disability from May 12, 2012.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a new examination to evaluate the severity of his service-connected lumbar spine disability.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings were denied. The claim to reopen the hypertension was not successful, while the other issues remained unresolved.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for lumbar degenerative disc disease and left hip arthritis were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for higher ratings at any point during the appeal period.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including his back disability, right hip disability, left knee disability, left hip disability, and left foot disability, rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment. The Board found that the criteria for a TDIU were met.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including scheduling a VA examination and addressing the issues of increased ratings for his lumbar spine disability and left lower extremity radiculopathy.

The Board found that the Veteran's current low back disability was not present until many years after service and is not related to service, thus denying his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for left ulnar neuropathy and mild degenerative disc disease, lumbar spine, L5-S1 was denied. The TDIU claim is also denied as it is inextricably intertwined with the other claims.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service connection claims for a low back disorder, left leg radiculopathy/sciatica, and left foot drop are granted. The case is also remanded to obtain an addendum opinion regarding whether his service-connected disabilities may have caused or aggravated his diagnosed left hip and left knee arthritis.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further development and an examination, as the current opinions are inadequate due to failure to consider the Veteran's lay assertions of continuity of symptoms since service.