Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2020

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, but remanded the issues of service connection for gout, a right ring finger injury, and a low back disorder due to insufficient medical opinions.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for low back, right hip and bilateral pes planus disabilities as secondary to the service-connected bilateral knee disability due to an altered gait. The Veteran needs VA opinions on whether these conditions were caused or aggravated by his service-connected knee disability.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for low back, cervical spine, and bladder conditions due to a lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for back disability, but denied it on the merits due to lack of evidence linking the current condition to service.,Service connection was also denied for right leg disability and bilateral eye disability. The Veteran's claims for Lyme disease were not addressed in this decision.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings are remanded due to deficiencies in prior VA examinations, lack of notification regarding upcoming VA examinations, and unclear employment history. The issues include right lower extremity radiculopathy, surgical scars of the low back, PTSD, degenerative disc and joint disease of the low back, left lower extremity radiculopathy of the sciatic nerve, left lower extremity radiculopathy of the femoral nerve, and TDIU prior to April 24, 2013.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for upper and low back disabilities due to incomplete development of records.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to the submission of new medical evidence since the last Supplemental Statement of the Case (SSOC). The issues include service connection for various foot, ankle, back, wrist, skin, and shoulder conditions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for lumbar spine disorder and cervical spine disorder due to a lack of adequate medical evidence and failure to fulfill the duty to assist. The Veteran is required to provide information and authorization to obtain relevant records, including MRI results from an in-service car accident.

The Board has granted service connection for sinusitis, meningitis to include as secondary to sinusitis, and encephalopathy to include as secondary to sinusitis. The remaining claims of service connection are remanded due to the possibility that they may be related to the Veteran's service-connected meningitis.

The Board has remanded the issue of TDIU prior to September 7, 2010 on an extraschedular basis for further action by the Director, Compensation Service.

The Board has remanded the cases due to new evidence being added to the Veteran's record, and the AOJ needs to review this additional evidence before making further decisions on the service connection claims.

The Board has found that the VA examinations did not substantially comply with the May 2019 remand directives and for a duty to assist error. The claims are being remanded for new VA medical opinions to determine the etiology of the Veteran's claimed migraines, lower back, left knee and left foot disabilities in light of the particular circumstances of the in-service motor vehicle accident described by the Veteran as well as other documented instances of lower back injury.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is remanded due to the need for additional development, including referral to VA’s Director of Compensation and Pension service for consideration under 38 C.F.R. § 4.16.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a cervical spine disability, finding that his current conditions are not related to an in-service injury and were not shown as chronic during service or within a presumptive period.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his back disability and right lower extremity radiculopathy have been denied. The Board found that the current severity of the disabilities does not warrant a higher rating.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete records and need for additional medical opinions.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for service connection and initial rating for low back, left knee, right knee, and headache disabilities before the Board could make a decision.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a low back disorder, finding that there was no causal relationship between his in-service injury and his current condition. The Board also noted that arthritis did not manifest to a compensable degree within one year of service discharge.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a back disability, finding that there was no evidence of chronic in-service injury or disease related to his current degenerative disc disease and spondylosis. The Board also found no continuity of symptomatology since service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's back disability had its onset in service and continues to persist, granting service connection for this condition.