Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2018

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection and increased ratings due to insufficient evidence, including a lack of medical opinions on the issues. The Veteran is also required to undergo VA examinations to assess her current disability levels.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and examination to determine if the Veteran has a separate upper back condition related to service, as well as whether he has diabetes mellitus type II or an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD and major depressive disorder) that is related to his active service.

The Veteran's arthritis and degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine are not service-connected.,The Veteran's posttraumatic stress disorder is currently rated at 30 percent.

The application to reopen the claims for service connection for a back disorder, bilateral hearing loss disability, PTSD, and an acquired psychiatric disorder is granted.

The Board has granted service connection for a low back disability and a right foot disorder, finding that the evidence is in equipoise as to whether these conditions are related to military service. The decision was made based on positive medical opinions provided by both VA and private physicians.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his lumbar spine disability is remanded due to the need for additional examination and testing as per a recent Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims decision.

The Veteran's lumbar strain is rated at 20 percent effective March 3, 2017. The Board has ordered additional development for other claims and issues.

The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating of his service-connected lumbar spine degenerative joint disease and a claim for service connection for depression are both remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and opinions.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's low back disability, including arthritis of the lumbar spine, as new and material evidence was submitted to reopen a previously denied claim. The Veteran experienced chronic low back pain during active duty and continues to have such symptoms post-service.

The Board has denied service connection for migraine headaches and remanded the issues of an increased rating for lumbar spine disability, service connection for radiculopathy in both lower extremities, and service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder.

The Board has remanded the case due to a need for further examination and clarification of the appellant's lumbar spine disability, including radiculopathy. The effective date remains pending.

The Board has determined that additional medical records are needed to fully evaluate the Veteran's claims, and a new VA examination is required for several issues. The effective date of service connection for migraine headaches remains under review.

The Board denied service connection for low back disorder, joint disorder (including knee and elbow pain), epilepsy, glaucoma, and prostate disorder.,Service connection was not granted for any of the claimed conditions.

The Veteran's appeals for fibromyalgia, bilateral neurological disability of the upper extremities (likely sciatica), and other service-connected conditions have been dismissed. The issues of higher ratings for lower back and cervical spine disabilities are remanded.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability, acquired psychiatric disability (other than PTSD), back disability, upper and lower extremity neurological disabilities, asthma, sinus disability, and rhinitis. The Veteran is not entitled to service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability due to lack of evidence showing a diagnosis of such disability for VA purposes. For the remaining issues, the Board finds that additional development is required as there are no current medical opinions addressing the etiology or relationship between any claimed disabilities and active service.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim of service connection for a back disability due to an inadequate opinion from the October 2016 VA examiner. The examiner did not consider all diagnoses and failed to discuss the in-service injury.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to the need for a VA examination to address the nature and etiology of any diagnosed sleep disorder, including insomnia and sleep apnea. The examiner must also opine whether it is at least as likely as not that any diagnosed sleep disorder is caused or aggravated by his chronic lumbar syndrome with disc degeneration.

The Board has granted service connection for right shoulder, bilateral wrist, low back, bilateral hip, left knee, and bilateral ankle disabilities. These conditions are deemed to be related to military service.

The Veteran's tooth disorder, left knee disorder, and thoracolumbar spine disorder have been granted service connection. However, the effective dates for these awards are November 14, 2013.,The Veteran's claims for an initial compensable rating for a tooth disorder, an effective date prior to November 14, 2013, for left knee disorder, and an effective date prior to November 14, 2013, for thoracolumbar spine disorder are denied as they were not filed within one year of discharge from service.

The Board has granted service connection for dysfunctional uterine bleeding. The cases of hypertension, bilateral hearing loss disability, gamekeeper's thumb, onychomycosis, right knee strain with degenerative joint disease, cervical strain with degenerative disc disease, and lumbar strain with degenerative disc disease are all remanded due to the need for additional development.