Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2020

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claim for service connection of a back disability should be remanded due to incomplete medical records.

The Veteran's TDIU claim was granted effective September 20, 2018, based on his service-connected disabilities resulting in a combined rating of 90 percent.

The Board denied service connection for a right ankle disability and did not warrant readjudication of the left knee or low back disability claims due to lack of relevant new evidence.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for lumbar strain and left elbow sprain have been denied as the evidence does not show that his conditions meet or approximate the criteria for a rating higher than 10 percent.

The Veteran's hypertension and unspecified anxiety disorder have been granted with a rating of 10%, but his lumbar spine disability and deviated nasal septum remain denied.

The Board has denied service connection for a sleep disorder, left ear hearing loss disability, and right ear hearing loss disability. The claims of entitlement to a compensable rating for tension headaches, thoracolumbar spine disability (claimed as an upper back disability), and neck disability are remanded.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude her from securing or following substantially gainful employment.

The Board has granted service connection for headaches. Bilateral hearing loss, back disability, hip disabilities (left and right), knee disabilities (right and left), and shoulder disabilities (right and left) are all remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions.

The Veteran's TDIU benefits are granted effective January 18, 2018, due to her service-connected PTSD and low back disability. The effective date cannot be earlier as she was not service-connected for PTSD prior to this date.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his thoracolumbar spine disability prior to March 6, 2013 and from that date have been denied. The VA has determined that the current ratings do not meet the criteria for higher ratings.

The Veteran's appeal regarding service connection for a skin disorder has been dismissed. The remaining issues of service connection for tonsil disorder, sleep apnea, hypertension, lumbar spine disorder, and rectal bleeding are remanded.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for financial assistance for automobile or other conveyance and adaptive equipment, or for adaptive equipment only.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for higher initial ratings and earlier effective dates related to various conditions, including a back scar, right lower extremity radiculopathy, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and hepatitis C. The Veteran's claim for an increased rating of the lumbar spine disability is granted with a 20% rating from January 7, 2010.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection and disability ratings have been dismissed due to their death.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for a neck disability and upper back disability as secondary to his service-connected post-operative resection of right clavicle. The decision is based on medical opinions that link these disabilities to the service-connected condition.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a new examination to assess the severity of his service-connected lumbar spine degenerative disc disease with arthritis, including assessments of active and passive range of motion in both weight-bearing and nonweight-bearing scenarios.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities, including bilateral foot, leg/knee, hip, headache, psychiatric, lumbar spine, and cervical spine disabilities. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions began during service or were related to in-service events.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to non-compliance with previous remand directives and a need for further examination.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development due to incomplete service treatment records and the need for medical opinions regarding the etiology of the veteran's cervical and lumbar spine disabilities. The claims for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus remain denied.

The Veteran's low back disability is currently rated at 40% and his left knee disability is rated at 10%. The Board found that a higher rating was not warranted for either condition during the period on appeal.