Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2019

The Board has denied service connection for a lumbar spine disability and remanded the right knee disability issue. The decision on the right knee disability is pending further development.

The Veteran's tinnitus was granted service connection. The issues of bilateral hearing loss disability, thoracolumbar spine disability, and left lower extremity radiculopathy are remanded for further examination and analysis.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence and need for further examination.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and readjudication. The Veteran's claims of bilateral hearing loss, PTSD service connection, and back condition are all pending.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral pes planus, left shoulder disability, left hip disability, and low back disability. The conditions were found to be not related to service or otherwise aggravated by service.

The Board has found that the VA's previous remand directives have not been substantially complied with, and thus the case is being returned to obtain additional treatment records from the Temple VAMC for the period January 1990 to October 1997.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development regarding his back disability, brain syndrome, knee condition, and TDIU.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a lumbar spine disability, finding that there is no evidence to support a direct link between his active duty service and his current condition. The Board also found insufficient evidence to establish secondary service connection based on his service-connected residuals of shrapnel wounds.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for hearing loss, tinnitus, bladder disorder, and back disability due to insufficient evidence in the record.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection as his back pain was not shown to be related to his active duty service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for low back, left hip, left ankle, and left foot disabilities due to his service-connected left femur and left knee disability. The Veteran testified that these disabilities are aggravated by his service-connected left femur and left knee disability.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's back conditions and their relationship to service. The Veteran is seeking service connection for various diagnosed back disabilities, including scoliosis, degenerative arthritis, mechanical back pain, lumbar spondylosis, and lumbar radiculopathy.

The Veteran's lumbar spine end plate sclerosis with degenerative arthritis and reversed lordosis is currently rated at 40 percent since September 1, 2016. The Board found that the disability does not warrant a higher rating as there was no evidence of ankylosis or incapacitating episodes.

The Board has reopened the claims for service connection for low back and left knee disabilities due to new evidence received more than one year after the previous decisions. However, these claims are still being remanded as additional medical opinions are needed regarding the severity of the right knee disability and whether any other conditions are related to the service-connected right knee disability.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for left knee, bilateral ankle, back, and right knee disabilities due to insufficient evidence. The Veteran's contentions of in-service injury are considered.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for low back and neck disabilities, finding that there is no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and his military service.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and lumbar spine disorder are remanded due to insufficient evidence. The Veteran is presumed credible regarding his continuity of symptoms since service, but a new VA examination is needed to determine if his current conditions are related to his in-service injuries.

The Veteran's service-connected posttraumatic stress disorder, degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, and other conditions contributed to his death from acute fentanyl intoxication.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral shoulder, back, left ankle, and hypothyroidism disabilities are being remanded due to the need for further development regarding service connection.,The TDIU claim is dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his appeal.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of a traumatic brain injury, initial evaluations for right shoulder strain and lumbosacral strain with degenerative changes and spondylitis, evaluation for fractures of the tibia and fibula, and TDIU claim for the period prior to August 28, 2013. Additional examinations are needed to determine the nature and etiology of any traumatic brain injury found to be present, as well as the current severity of his right shoulder, lumbar spine, and leg disabilities.