Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2020

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for a right shoulder disability, lower back disability, left ankle disability, and hypertension due to insufficient evidence. The Veteran's lay statements and buddy statements from his wife and fellow Veterans have been considered.

The Veteran's claims for diabetes, diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, prostate disorder, and ED were denied as they are not related to service.,The Veteran's claims for cervical spine disorder, lumbar spine disorder, right shoulder disorder, left shoulder disorder, right hip disorder, left hip disorder, right ankle disorder, left ankle disorder, right foot disorder, and left foot disorder were also denied as they are not related to service.

The Veteran was found to be unable to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities, particularly PTSD, which prevented him from performing the physical demands of his job as a corrections officer. The TDIU is granted for the period from November 8, 2011 to May 1, 2012.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's lumbar spine disability, diagnosed as degenerative disc disease, did not begin during service or due to a service-connected condition. The evidence does not support a finding of in-service onset and there is no credible evidence linking the current condition to an injury or event in service.

The Board has granted service connection for stomach/gastrointestinal disorder (including schistosomiasis), thrombophlebitis of the right leg, a back disorder, and cardiovascular disorder (including hypertension) as new and material evidence was submitted. The claims are remanded for further examination.

The Board has remanded the claim for a back disability, including arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine, due to insufficient evidence regarding its relationship to service.

The Board denied service connection for a back disorder, finding that the Veteran's current back problems were not related to his military service and did not manifest within one year of separation.

The Veteran's lumbar spine DDD produced forward flexion of the thoracolumbar spine to 30 degrees, which meets the criteria for a 40 percent rating. The Board granted this rating.

The Board has granted a 20% rating for the Veteran's degenerative disc disease of the thoracic and lumbar spine from December 28, 2010 to January 27, 2011. The claim for an increased rating prior to July 16, 2015 is denied.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for thoracolumbar degenerative disc disease with radiculopathy and glaucoma due to lack of sufficient evidence in the record.

The Board denied service connection for lumbar spine, left hip, and right hip disabilities as secondary to a service-connected bilateral knee disability.,Service connection was granted for recurrent tinnitus disability.

The Board denied service connection for a back disability, kidney disease, residuals of head injury, and left ear injury (other than tinnitus). Service connection was granted for tinnitus.

The Board has granted service connection for arthritis of the lumbar spine with spinal stenosis. The case is remanded to determine if there is a relationship between the Veteran's cervical spine disability and his service-connected lumbar spine disability.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied. The Board found that the Veteran did not have hearing loss for VA purposes.,An initial compensable rating of 10 percent for allergic rhinitis from June 30, 2010 to September 18, 2017 was granted.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss and dyshidrotic eczema of the hands. The Board dismissed these claims as withdrawn. His claim for TDIU was denied due to insufficient evidence showing he is unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for low back, right foot, and knee disabilities due to inadequate examinations in prior decisions. The Veteran is required to undergo new VA examinations or provide a medical opinion based on file review.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of a low back disability, finding that there was no evidence to support a link between his current condition and his military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection of various disabilities, including left knee, right knee, back, neck, sleep disability, and hypertension, are remanded due to insufficient medical opinions. The effective date for TDIU benefits is set at December 1, 2011.

The Veteran's headaches, residuals of head injury, are rated at the maximum schedular rating (50%) and no higher due to their severity. The RO has granted an increased disability rating from May 8, 2013.,Service connection for a spine condition is denied as there is no evidence that the Veteran's current diagnosis began during service or is related to any in-service injury.

The Veteran's representative withdrew the appeal regarding his claims for service connection for back condition, bilateral foot condition, and bilateral knee condition. The appeal is dismissed.