Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2019

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, lumbar spine disability, bilateral knee disabilities, and headache disorder are all found to be related to his service. The claims for glaucoma, heart disability, hypertension, erectile dysfunction, and diabetes mellitus have been denied.

The Veteran's lumbar and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy have been rated at 10 percent, but the Board has determined that further development is needed to determine if higher ratings are warranted.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his lumbar spine disability is denied, and the effective date for service connection of PTSD prior to January 15, 2014 is denied. The claims for increased ratings for lower extremity radiculopathy are remanded.

An increased rating of 60 percent for intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS) is granted from September 28, 1999 to September 22, 2009.,From September 23, 2009, an initial increased rating of 40 percent for the Veteran’s low back disability is granted. The rating remains at 40 percent after February 1, 2013.,An initial increased rating of 40 percent for left lower extremity radiculopathy (sciatic nerve neuropathy) is granted from September 23, 2009.,An initial increased rating of 40 percent for right lower extremity radiculopathy (sciatic nerve neuropathy) is granted from September 23, 2009.,Prior to February 12, 2008, the Veteran’s left knee disability was rated at 20 percent under DC 5258 for dislocated semilunar cartilage. From February 12, 2008, an increased rating of 10 percent is granted under DC 5259 for symptomatic meniscus removal residuals.,From September 28, 1999 to present, the Veteran’s left knee instability is rated at 20 percent under DC 5257.

The Veteran's application to reopen the claim of entitlement to service connection for a low back disability is granted. The Board finds that new and material evidence has been submitted, raising a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim. However, the claim remains remanded as further development is needed to obtain relevant service treatment records and to determine if the Veteran's current low back disability is related to his active duty service.

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to properly adjudicate the Veteran's claims for service connection of his back and right knee conditions, as the medical opinions provided do not consider the Veteran's lay statements regarding continuity of symptoms.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for a back disability, hypertension (claimed as high blood pressure), diabetes mellitus, psychiatric disability (claimed as depression), and eye disability including vision loss. The effective date issue is also remanded.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for low back and right knee disabilities, finding no evidence of a link between his current conditions and active duty service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a back disability, bilateral hearing loss disability, residuals of head injury (dizziness and unsteady gait), and psychiatric disability have been denied. The appeals are dismissed.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for a back disability, bilateral hearing loss disability, residuals of head injury (also claimed as dizziness and unsteady gait), and psychiatric disability have been denied. The appeals are dismissed.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for a headache disability is remanded.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for low back and left knee disorders due to inadequate VA medical opinions. The case will be returned for further adjudication with a new examination.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including left and right ankle disabilities, lumbar spine disability, knee disabilities, hip disabilities, foot disabilities, diabetic retinopathy, shoulder disabilities, cervical spine disability, heart disorder, and psychiatric disorders. The evidence did not support a finding of in-service incurrence or aggravation of any of these conditions.

The Veteran's back brace did not tend to wear out or tear his clothing, so he is denied an annual clothing allowance for the 2015 calendar year.

The Board has reopened the claims for left shoulder condition and back condition (previously addressed as back injury) due to new evidence submitted since the last final decision. The claim for bilateral leg numbness is also remanded for further examination.

The Veteran's degenerative arthritis, degenerative disc disease, and status post fusion surgery of the lumbar spine had its onset in service. The Board found that the condition is related to service and granted service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for radiculopathy of the left lower extremity and degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the lumbar spine are being remanded due to additional evidence received since the last Supplemental Statement of the Case.

The Veteran's appeal for increased disability rating for right lower extremity radiculopathy and service connection for lumbar strain with degenerative arthritis and TDIU was dismissed. The Board found that the evidence did not support an increase in disability rating prior to May 31, 2016 or after.

The Veteran's low back disability was rated at 10 percent from May 2013 to December 2014, and reverted to the pre-operative rating of 10 percent after his surgery. From February 2014 to December 2014, it remained at 10 percent. Since December 2014, a higher rating is denied as there was no evidence of ankylosis or incapacitating episodes.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for lower back, left knee, and right knee disabilities due to the need for additional development.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including a back condition, left knee condition, right hip condition, left hip condition, and an abdominal condition. The case will proceed with further examinations to determine if these conditions are related to military service.

The Board denied the petitions to reopen claims of service connection for back and right knee disorders, as well as service connection for left shoulder disorder, sinus disorder, and diverticulitis. The decisions were based on a lack of evidence relating these conditions to service.