Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2019

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including personality disorder, depression, and PTSD due to insufficient evidence or conflicting opinions regarding these conditions.

The Board has granted a 20 percent rating for the Veteran's service-connected degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine, effective from the date of the decision.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for his thoracolumbar spine disability is remanded due to inadequate examination reports and the need for updated VA treatment records.

The Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities and lumbar spine strain have been evaluated, but no increased ratings are warranted.,Specifically, the Veteran's left and right knees do not meet criteria for a compensable disability rating due to instability or recurrent subluxation. The Veteran’s lumbar spine strain has been granted with a specific rating, but no higher.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his service-connected chronic lumbosacral strain (back disability) is remanded due to the need for updated medical records and a more contemporaneous VA examination.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a back disorder, finding that there was no evidence of a chronic condition during or immediately after service and that any current condition began many years after service. The Board concluded that the Veteran did not have a service-connected disability.

The Veteran's low back disability and right hand pain (excluding residuals of distal phalanx fracture) are being remanded for additional development to determine their etiology.,New evidence has been received, but the Board cannot make a fully-informed decision without further examination and opinion regarding the nature and etiology of these conditions.

A 50 percent rating for PTSD is granted effective May 14, 2008.,The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for PTSD from August 8, 2018 is denied.,Compensation for eczema is granted at a noncompensable level (0%) throughout the appeal period.,A compensable rating of 40 percent for degenerative joint disease lumbar spine is granted.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for degenerative disc and joint disease of the lumbar spine, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and right lower extremity radiculopathy have been denied. The Veteran is currently rated at 40% for left lower extremity radiculopathy.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection and rating of his right knee condition, as well as his claims for a back condition and sciatic nerve condition. The records from Coastal Bend Medical Service in Corpus Christi and an outpatient clinic in Denton need to be obtained, and a VA examination is required to assess the nature and etiology of these conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for a low back disability and a bilateral knee disability, finding that the Veteran's symptoms are related to his active service.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for service connection and an increased rating, effectively dismissing both issues.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to November 9, 2009, for the grant of service connection for lumbar stenosis with degenerative arthritis of the spine with a scar is remanded. The issue of whether he was paid the correct amount of retroactive benefits following the November 2014 rating decision is also remanded due to its inextricability from the earlier effective date claim.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim of service connection for a lumbar spine disorder, finding that his current condition did not manifest during or within one year after service and is not otherwise causally related to his military service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including major depressive disorder, bilateral knee and back conditions, radiculopathies, and erectile dysfunction, render him incapable of securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a lumbar spine disability, finding that there was no evidence of a current disability related to service or service-connected disabilities. The Board also found that arthritis did not manifest within one year of separation from service.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected back, left knee, and right knee disabilities are being remanded due to the lack of a VA examination report from August 2012. The RO must obtain this report and associate it with the claims file.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus but has remanded the issue of service connection for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine due to insufficient evidence.

The Veteran's back disability and bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome have been granted service connection. The back disability received a rating of 20 percent, effective from the date of decision.

The Board denied service connection for a low back disability, sinus disability, and IBS. The Veteran's tinnitus was granted service connection.,Service connection was not established for the claimed conditions due to lack of evidence linking them to military service.