Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2019

The Board has remanded the claim of service connection for a lumbar spine disability due to conflicting opinions and lack of clear evidence.

The Veteran's tinnitus is rated at the highest permissible level (10%). The Board has remanded for further examination and opinion regarding service connection, rating, and compensation for his lumbar spine disability, pes planus, bilateral hearing loss, and hypertension.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence, including a lack of service personnel records and separation examination reports. The Veteran's claim for reopening his lumbar spine disability is also being remanded.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection of a lumbar spine disability due to inadequate examination and failure to follow remand directives. The case is now pending again with new development.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for a back condition has been reopened, and the Board finds that new and material evidence has been received. The case is REMANDED for further examination to determine the nature and etiology of any current back condition and whether it is related to his service-connected right knee condition.

The Board has remanded the issues of increasing ratings for various service-connected conditions and is also considering a claim for Total Disability Rating Based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU). The TDIU claim will be considered in conjunction with the other claims.

The Board denied increased ratings for the Veteran's lumbar spine and right knee disabilities, finding that the evidence did not support higher ratings or separate ratings. The Veteran was required to undergo VA examinations but failed to do so without good cause.

The Board has decided to remand the cases for further examination and opinion regarding service connection for cervical spine, lumbar spine, left ankle, and right ankle disabilities. The examiner is asked to provide opinions on whether these conditions are related to in-service events or diseases.

The Veteran's claims for service connection, increased ratings, and TDIU have been denied. The Board found that the evidence does not support a finding of service connection for the low back injury or entitlement to increased ratings for his knee disabilities. Additionally, the Board determined that the Veteran is not unemployable due to his service-connected conditions.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral knee disability, cervical spine disability, and lumbar spine disability as the evidence did not establish a link between these conditions and active duty service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a back disability and an initial compensable rating for ovarian cysts. The decision on the back disability claim was based on the lack of evidence showing that her current condition is related to her active service, while the ovarian cysts claim was denied due to the absence of continuous treatment requirements.

The Veteran's claim for service connection of degenerative arthritis of the lumbosacral spine is granted. The appeal for non-service-connected pension benefits is remanded.

The Board has denied service connection for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, peripheral neuropathy (PN) of the right upper extremity (RUE), and peripheral neuropathy (PN) of the left upper extremity (LUE). The Veteran's claims were not based on presumptive exposure to herbicides.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for low back disorder, instability of the left and right knees, and patellofemoral syndrome of the left and right knees were denied in a May 2014 rating decision. The effective date for these grants is April 21, 2015.,The Veteran's claim of service connection for major depressive disorder was granted in a May 2014 rating decision with an initial rating of 30 percent and effective from September 9, 2013. The effective date for the increased rating to 50 percent is March 20, 2017.,The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates were denied as they are not valid under VA regulations.

The Veteran's service connection claim for obstructive sleep apnea is granted. The Board also remanded the cases of his cervical spine and left upper extremity radiculopathy disabilities.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for right knee and low back pain disabilities as secondary to his service-connected left knee disability. However, further evidence is needed to determine if these conditions are related to his military service or his service-connected condition.

The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's claimed conditions, including bilateral foot, hip, and ankle osteoarthritis, as well as lumbar spine myositis and atopic dermatitis, all of which were related to his exposure to Agent Orange during service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to missing STRs and a need for further medical examination.

The Board denied service connection for a lumbosacral strain and degenerative disc disease, finding that the current conditions are not related to active service. Service connection was also denied for right foot drop due to lack of evidence linking it to service.

The Board denied service connection for left ear hearing loss, right ear hearing loss, left foot disability, right foot disability, low back disability, and tinnitus as the evidence did not show a nexus to service or any applicable presumptive period.