Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2019

The Board has remanded the claim for service connection for a low back disability due to insufficient medical opinion regarding its relationship to service and any potential secondary or aggravating conditions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for various conditions due to outstanding records and a need for additional medical opinions.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's service connection claim for a lumbar spine disability. The case is remanded for further development, including VA examinations and rating actions.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a low back disability is granted, but denied for traumatic brain injury. The Board found that the current evidence does not establish a current diagnosis of TBI.

The Board denied service connection for a lower back disability and an evaluation in excess of 10 percent for the Veteran's left femur condition, but granted service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity as secondary to his left femur condition.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and denied service connection for lower back disability. The Veteran's current hearing loss is considered to be directly related to in-service noise exposure, while the current lumbar spine disability is not considered to be related to service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a lumbar spine disorder has been reopened, and the Board is remanding this issue for further development.,Service connection was denied for fibromyalgia, OSA, cervical spine disorder, left elbow disorder, right elbow disorder, left knee disorder, and right knee disorder due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Board has granted service connection for cyclic neutropenia and degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine, finding that new evidence supports reopening these claims. The Veteran's current diagnoses are considered disabilities for purposes of service connection.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, anxiety, and depression, was denied as there is no evidence linking these conditions to his military service. The claim for TDIU was also denied due to the lack of a single disability rated at least 40% disabling or combined disabilities meeting the percentage requirements.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have been shown to preclude substantially gainful employment, and a TDIU on an extraschedular basis is granted.

The Veteran's lumbosacral strain with degenerative disc disease was rated at 10% prior to February 2, 2017, and increased to 20% thereafter. The appeal is denied as the disability does not warrant a higher rating based on current functional limitations.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development regarding his claims of service connection for various conditions, including a back disability, right foot disability, tinnitus, PTSD, hypertension, left knee and shoulder disabilities, as well as bilateral hearing loss and plantar fasciitis. The appeals are currently pending due to the need for additional medical records review.

The Veteran's surviving spouse is being asked to provide medical opinions regarding the etiology of various conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, diabetes, diabetic peripheral neuropathy, prostate disorder, erectile dysfunction, cervical spine disorder, lumbar spine disorder, and others. The claims for service connection are remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional examinations and development of his claims.

The Veteran's service-connected lumbar, cervical spine, and left shoulder strains are being remanded for additional examinations to assess their current severity.

The Board denied service connection for various shoulder, wrist, ankle, hip, and knee conditions as well as a lumbar spine condition. The Veteran's claim was not reopened due to the nature of the appeal.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus, type II is granted as service connected. The bilateral knees and thoracolumbar spine disability issues are remanded for further review.

The Veteran's appeal to reopen the claim for service connection for a right hip disability was granted. The initial rating in excess of 10 percent for the service-connected back disability prior to June 19, 2018, is denied. A disability rating of 60 percent for the service-connected back disability as of June 19, 2018, is granted.

The Veteran's thoracic spine DDD has been rated at 20 percent, but no higher, due to the presence of forward flexion greater than 30 degrees and an abnormal gait.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection of a low back condition as secondary to his service-connected bilateral pes planus.