Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2018

The Board has requested a medical opinion and is remanding the case for further development. The Veteran's claim for service connection for back disability will be reconsidered with consideration of all added evidence.

The Veteran's claims are being remanded for additional development and consideration of the new evidence.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's lumbar spine and left knee disorders did not begin during service or are related to service in any other way.,Service connection for these conditions cannot be granted as secondary to a left ankle condition, as this issue was previously denied.

The Veteran meets the schedular criteria for a TDIU beginning March 30, 2011 due to his service-connected disabilities preventing him from securing and following substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining additional medical records and scheduling a VA examination to assess the severity of his service-connected back disability. The TDIU claim is also being remanded.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions do not meet the criteria for automobile and adaptive equipment or for adaptive equipment only, as she does not have ankylosis of one or both knees or hips, nor does she have actual remaining function in her left foot that could be accomplished equally well by an amputation stump with prosthesis.

The Board has remanded the claims for additional medical inquiry and commentary due to conflicting evidence regarding the Veteran's low back disability. The service connection claims for shoulder disability and hypertension are also being remanded as they are inextricably intertwined with the service connection claim for back disability.

The Board found that the Veteran's current back disability did not have its onset during active service and was not caused by active service, thus denying his claim for service connection.

The Board found that the Veteran's back disability, including degenerative arthritis of the spine and lumbar strain, was not incurred in service. The evidence did not show chronic symptoms within one year after separation from service or otherwise etiologically related to service. Service connection for a back disability is denied.

The Veteran's thoracolumbar spine disability is currently rated at 20 percent disabling effective October 12, 2017. Prior to that date, the disability was not shown to warrant a higher rating.

Effective May 22, 2013, the Veteran is granted a 100 percent rating for unfavorable ankylosis of the entire spine. The earlier claims for increased ratings remain denied.

The claim for service connection of a low back disability and depression has been reopened due to the submission of new evidence. The appeal is granted on these issues.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and earlier effective dates are remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling compensation and pension examinations. The issue of entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) is also remanded.

The Veteran's appeal to reopen his service connection claims for various conditions has been dismissed due to the appellant's withdrawal of all issues on appeal.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for loss of balance, colon cancer, diabetes mellitus, eye disorder, and lumbar spine disorder. The evidence did not show a chronic disability manifested during or within one year after service, nor was there any medical opinion linking these conditions to service.

The Board has decided that the claims for service connection, increased rating, and TDIU are remanded due to new evidence being added to the record without proper readjudication.

The Veteran's back disorder is denied as not related to service or a service-connected condition.

The Veteran's low back and radiculopathy disabilities have worsened since his last VA examination in February 2011. The Board has ordered additional development to determine the current severity of these conditions.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine is granted. The Board finds that the probative evidence is at least at relative equipoise as to whether the Veteran’s current low back disability is etiologically related to his active service.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for a back disability due to new and material evidence submitted by the Veteran. The case is remanded for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a VA spine examination.