Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2020

The Veteran's lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis is rated at 20 percent, and the Board has remanded for further development.,A separate disability rating of 10 percent for left lower extremity radiculopathy is granted effective February 14, 2020. The Veteran's right lower extremity radiculopathy also received a 10 percent rating effective February 14, 2020.,The Board has remanded the claim of entitlement to TDIU due to insufficient information regarding the Veteran’s employment and educational history.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient notice and development regarding his in-service stressors, as well as inadequate medical opinions. The Veteran is required to provide additional information about his claimed stressors and undergo VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of his acquired psychiatric disorder, lumbar spine disability, and sleep apnea.

The Veteran's scoliosis, intervertebral disc syndrome, lumbar fusion with scar, and right pelvic tilt were found to be aggravated by service. Service connection was granted for these conditions.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a lumbar spine condition and bilateral hip condition. The claim for skin cancer, to include residuals, is being remanded.,Service connection was not granted for the Veteran’s claimed conditions due to lack of evidence linking them to his military service.

The Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine is rated at 20 percent, which is the maximum rating available under the General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine.,The Veteran’s left lower extremity radiculopathy is currently rated at 10 percent. The Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted as there is no evidence of more than mild incomplete paralysis.,Prior to February 7, 2017, the Veteran's right lower extremity radiculopathy was rated at 10 percent. After February 7, 2017, it has been rated at 20 percent. The Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted as there is no evidence of more than moderate incomplete paralysis.,The Veteran’s scars from lumbar spine surgery are currently rated at 0 percent and the claim for a compensable rating was denied.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities (migraine headaches, low back strain, and cervical strain) do not preclude her from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's back disability and associated radiculopathies of the lower extremities have been granted initial ratings, with some issues receiving separate ratings.

The Veteran's diagnosed chronic mechanical low back pain and spondylolisthesis are related to a December 1992 in-service motor vehicle accident, meeting the criteria for direct service connection.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and consideration. The Veteran's claims for service connection are not granted.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied. The left knee and right knee osteoarthritis, as well as the lumbosacral sprain with degenerative arthritis, are all rated at their maximum allowable levels.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to August 7, 2012 for the grant of service connection for compression fractures of the thoracolumbar spine. The decision found that the preponderance of evidence was against a finding that any earlier claims were entitled to an effective date.

The Board has remanded the claims for a thoracolumbar spine disability and bilateral pes planus, as well as the claim for TDIU. Additional development is needed to obtain SSA records and VA medical records, and an orthopedic examination of the Veteran's back disability will be arranged.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is remanded due to the need for referral to the Director of Compensation Services for extraschedular TDIU consideration.

The Veteran's claims for an initial compensable rating for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, service connection for chronic residuals of hepatitis B, gastrointestinal condition, hypertension, and a back condition are REMANDED due to the failure to obtain VA examinations as instructed in the March 2018 Board remand.

The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeals for increased initial ratings for degenerative joint disease of the bilateral shoulders, and remanded his claims for additional development regarding cervical spine, knee, lumbar spine, and pes cavus disabilities.

The Board has denied service connection for a right knee disability and remanded the issue of service connection for a low back disability. The decision does not provide specific details on the rating assigned, effective date, or other specifics.

The Board denied service connection for a cervical spine disability, finding that the evidence did not support a link between the current condition and in-service injury or disease. The Veteran's claim based on an undiagnosed illness was also denied.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding the Veteran's lumbar spine disability. The AOJ is instructed to obtain treatment records and provide a supplemental medical opinion from an appropriate VA physician.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's back injury, including its relationship to service.

The Veteran's headaches are granted as service connected, with the Board finding reasonable doubt in favor of his claim. The lumbar spine disability and shin splints issues are remanded for further development.