Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2020

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, low back disability, and heart disorder secondary to herbicide exposure due to insufficient development in previous decisions.

The Board denied service connection for right knee, left knee, right ankle, and lower back disabilities due to a lack of evidence showing these conditions were incurred or aggravated by military service.,Service connection was not granted as the Veteran's claimed disabilities are not shown to be related to his active duty service.

The Board has determined that the VA examinations of record are inadequate and do not substantially comply with prior remand directives. The Veteran's right knee, left knee, and low back disabilities need to be re-evaluated due to functional loss from flare-ups and repetitive use over time.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for low back, left hip, right hip, left leg, and right leg disabilities due to insufficient nexus opinions provided by VA examiners.

The Board has remanded the claims for increased ratings for cervical and thoracolumbar spine disabilities due to inadequate examinations conducted in January 2020. The VA is required to conduct addenda or new examinations addressing the nature and severity of the Veteran's service-connected spinal disabilities, including effects on functional ability during flare-ups and repetitive use.

The Board has remanded the case due to inconsistencies in clinical findings regarding whether the Veteran has right foot drop as a neurological manifestation of his service-connected low back disability. The Veteran needs an adequate examination for rating purposes and complete records of private treatment are needed.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability and left lower extremity radiculopathy have not met the criteria for higher ratings under VA rating criteria, with the exception of a remanded issue regarding neurological impairment.

The Veteran's initial disability ratings for various conditions have been remanded due to the need for additional development. The right leg shrapnel wound, back disability, and radiculopathy of the right lower extremity are all rated under the criteria for direct service connection.

The Board has remanded several claims, including service connection for various conditions and the cause of death claim. The main issues are related to exposure to toxins, asbestos, or radiation during service.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate examination and failure to consider additional functional loss during flare-ups. The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his spine condition is now pending.

The Veteran's lumbar strain is granted a disability rating of 40 percent from October 20, 2009 to January 21, 2020. A higher rating is denied for the period after January 22, 2020. TDIU is granted from October 20, 2009 to January 9, 2017.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a low back disability and headache disability, to include as secondary to a cervical spine disability with radiculopathy, are being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding the etiology of these disabilities.

The Board dismissed all the Veteran's claims due to his withdrawal of the appeal.

The Board has remanded the claim for a low back disability due to incomplete review of previous medical records and an inadequate VA examination. The Veteran's service connection claim will be reconsidered with consideration of all available evidence.

Service connection is granted for degenerative arthritis of the right knee, left knee, and bilateral hearing loss.,The Veteran's lumbar spine, bilateral shoulder, and bilateral hip disabilities are remanded for further evaluation.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for lumbar spondylosis and radiculopathy of the lower right extremity, as well as his claim for TDIU due to additional development being required.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for degenerative disc/bone disease and spinal stenosis have been remanded due to the need for a VA examination. The examiner is requested to determine if these conditions are related to military service, including exposure at Camp Lejeune.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection and increased rating due to a lack of recent VA examinations addressing his back, neck, and neurological conditions. The case is being returned to the RO for further development.

The Veteran's cervical spine disability was denied a higher rating as it did not meet the criteria for an increased rating. The right hip degenerative joint disease with bursitis also failed to warrant a higher rating.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability was rated at 10 percent prior to November 15, 2011 and denied any higher rating.