Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2019

The Veteran's appeal for earlier effective dates for PTSD, cervical spine disability, and right shoulder disability was denied. The Board found no clear and unmistakable error in the prior decisions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence and missing records. The lumbar spine disability claim is remanded because of a lack of medical records from his active duty period, while the PTSD claim is remanded due to an inability to verify specific stressors during service.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his lumbosacral strain with degenerative disc disease due to insufficient evidence of current disability severity, and requires a new VA examination.

The Court found the Board's decision did not fulfill remand instructions and ordered a new examination to determine if any current lumbar spine disability was incurred in or caused by active service.

The Board has denied service connection for all listed conditions as there is no current diagnosis of any disability and the Veteran did not provide a lay description of his symptoms.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a back disability, bilateral knee disability, and right ankle disability as secondary to his service-connected left ankle disability. The evidence does not support a finding of direct service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for dizziness, chest pain, tinea cruris, and erectile dysfunction were dismissed. The appeal of his athlete's foot was granted with a remand for an increased rating.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have prevented him from securing or following substantially gainful employment, and the Board has granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Veteran withdrew her appeals regarding service connection for chronic pain syndrome, an increased rating for traumatic arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine, and initial disability ratings for radiculopathy of both lower extremities.

The Board denied service connection for cervical spine, lumbar spine, and bilateral upper extremity radiculopathy/neuropathy disabilities as the evidence did not support a link to service.

The Board found that the Veteran's current lumbar spine disability is not related to his service, as there was no chronicity of low back problems during or after service. The Board denied the claim for service connection.

The Veteran's PTSD, left shoulder tenosynovitis, right shoulder tenosynovitis, lumbosacral strain, and diverticulitis have been rated at their maximum allowable levels. The Veteran’s right hand dermatitis has not met the criteria for a compensable rating.

The Board denied service connection for a right shoulder condition, low back pain, bilateral knee pain, bilateral ankle condition, and right bicep condition. The Veteran's rhinitis was granted service connection.,Service connection was not established for the Veteran’s hearing loss or tinnitus.

The Veteran's service-connected lumbar strain disability is granted an increased rating of 20 percent effective from November 27, 2018. Service connection for arthritis in the lumbar spine and sciatica are also granted as secondary to the service-connected lumbar strain.

The Board has denied a higher rating for the Veteran's bilateral foot disability and remanded the issues of lumbosacral strain, bilateral hand condition, and vision condition. The case is now REMANDED to issue a Statement of the Case on these matters.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim of service connection for a back disability, finding that there was no evidence to support a link between his current condition and active duty service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a cervical spine disability and an initial rating in excess of 10 percent prior to December 3, 2009 and a rating in excess of 20 percent thereafter for a lumbar spine disability. The evidence did not establish that the Veteran’s disabilities were proximately due to or aggravated by her service-connected collar bone condition.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for right shoulder and lumbar spine disabilities are being remanded due to inadequate examinations. The Board will seek new evaluations that comply with VA examination guidelines.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection for sleep apnea and low back disability, finding that the NOD with respect to the TDIU claim was untimely.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient examination reports and lack of consideration of certain factors.