Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2019

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for low back disability and left knee disability, as well as a rating in excess of 10 percent for his residuals of pilonidal cyst surgeries. The Board also denied TDIU.

The Veteran's service-connected thoracolumbar spine disability renders him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and the Board grants TDIU on an extra-schedular basis.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a lower back disability, finding no link between his active duty service and his current condition. The evidence did not support a finding of service connection due to lack of medical nexus.

The Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is found to have begun during his active duty service.,The Veteran is determined to be unemployable due to his service-connected back and left foot disabilities, effective March 26, 2014.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and reviews of evidence.

The Board denied service connection for a lumbar spine disability and denied a rating greater than 10 percent for arthritis of the left knee.

The Veteran's claim for an increased disability rating for his service-connected chronic thoracolumbar spine strain is remanded due to the need for a new VA examination and consideration of additional evidence.

The Veteran's bilateral patellofemoral pain syndrome of the knees is granted as service connected. The low back and neck disabilities are remanded for further review.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development to determine if his back condition is secondary to service-connected bilateral knee disability, if his pes planus was aggravated by service, and if his skin conditions are related to herbicide exposure. The Veteran will need to undergo further medical examinations and receive a VA opinion on these issues.

The Board denied service connection for a low back disability, including arthritis, finding that the Veteran's current condition was not related to his in-service injury and there is no evidence of chronicity within one year of discharge.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further examination and evaluation, particularly regarding his back disorder. The claims of service connection for morbid obesity, left ankle disorder, right ankle disorder, and TDIU are also pending.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were reopened due to the submission of new and material evidence. Service connection was granted for a left eye disorder, but denied for right shoulder condition, lower back condition, hypertension, and erectile dysfunction.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for a back disability, right foot disability, and residuals of facial injuries due to lack of in-service diagnosis and continuity of symptomatology.

The Veteran's left shoulder disability and degenerative disc disease with anterolisthesis of the lumbar spine are not shown to be related to his military service, and thus service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for left knee condition, right knee condition, and obstructive sleep apnea due to new evidence received since previous decisions. The lumbar spine and cervical spine conditions remain under review.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and the Board grants TDIU. The claim for an increased rating for major depressive disorder is remanded.

The Board denied service connection for sleep apnea, lumbar spine disability, and a lower extremity disability (manifested by bilateral leg numbness) due to lack of evidence supporting the claims. The Veteran's current conditions are not considered related to his military service.

The Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine was granted a 20 percent rating, as it met the criteria for forward flexion greater than 30 degrees but not greater than 60 degrees.

The Board denied service connection for a chronic low back disorder and asthma, finding no medical nexus between the conditions and service.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran's current back disability and his active duty service. The examiner is asked to consider instances of back strains in 1978, 1979, and 1980 noted in the Veteran's service treatment records, as well as degenerative changes in the Veteran's thoracic spine noted in his separation examination in 1992.