Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2020

The Board has ordered a remand for the Veteran's low back disability due to conflicting findings in previous examinations and the need for more detailed information regarding flare-ups.

The Board has denied service connection for heart disorder, skin disorder, degenerative disc disease in low back, right elbow olecranon bone spur, arthritis in left hand, and arthritis in right hand as these conditions are not related to service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for lumbar spine disability, finding that there is no evidence of a chronic back condition during service and that the current lumbar spine disability began approximately 26 years after separation from service. The Board also found that the Veteran's lay statements regarding in-service wear and tear were outweighed by the July 2020 VA medical examiner's opinion.

The Veteran's appeal for increased disability ratings for his service-connected post-operative residuals of lumbar intervertebral disc syndrome has been dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his appeal after a 40% rating was granted effective January 25, 2020.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for lumbar spine disability, finding that there was no evidence of an in-service injury or incident and that any current condition is not related to service.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for lumbar spine disorder, right knee disorder, and left knee disorder due to insufficient opinions from VA examiners.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral pes planus, lumbar spine disability, bilateral hip disability, and bilateral knee disability due to lack of evidence showing aggravation during active duty.,Service connection was also not granted for ichthyosis.

The Board denied service connection for thoracolumbar spine, right knee, and bilateral leg disabilities due to a lack of evidence showing chronic symptoms in service or post-service continuity of symptomatology. The VA examiners found no link between the current conditions and service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for degenerative disc disease of the lumbosacral spine was denied as there is no evidence of a chronic condition in service or within the applicable presumptive period.,Service connection for multiple sclerosis was remanded due to insufficient reasoning regarding potential early manifestations of optic neuritis.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to a duty-to-assist error, and he needs an examination to determine his eligibility for specially adapted housing or a special home adaptation grant.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of a back disability, finding that there is no evidence linking his current condition to his military service.

The Veteran was granted a TDIU from October 10, 2019 due to his service-connected disabilities. Prior to this date, the evidence did not show he could secure and follow substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are granted service connection as they are related to his active duty service. The lumbosacral strain, bilateral foot disability, bilateral peripheral neuropathy of the upper extremities, and bilateral peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities are denied as there is no evidence of a direct relationship between these conditions and his military service.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine and left rib cage cracked bone pain due to pre-decisional duty-to-assist errors.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error, requiring an examination and medical advisory opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's claimed conditions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to errors in development and duty-to-assist issues. The Veteran is seeking service connection for lumbar degenerative disc disease, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and mood disorder.

The Veteran's request for self-employment assistance through Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) was granted. The decision found that the Veteran has a serious employment handicap due to his service-connected disabilities, which necessitated selection of self-employment as the only reasonably feasible vocational goal.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his back disability and left lower extremity radiculopathy was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on range of motion or neurologic impairment.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for an addendum medical opinion regarding the service connection of left sacroiliac joint separation and its relationship to in-service events.

The Veteran's service-connected lumbosacral spine disability is currently rated at 10 percent, and the Board finds that this rating is appropriate based on his symptoms of constant low back pain with mild tenderness to palpation.