Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2020

The Board has granted service connection for a neck disorder and back disorder. The Veteran's claim of service connection for sunburn scars was denied due to lack of new and material evidence. Service connection is remanded for the issue of whether the Veteran has a left hip disorder, including any neurologic manifestations related to his service-connected back disorder.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to new evidence submitted by the Veteran, which suggests a possible connection between his in-service back pain and his current lumbar spine disability. The case will be reviewed again with the help of a VA medical opinion.

The Board dismissed the appeals for service connection of chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic lumbar spine disability, chronic sinusitis, hemorrhoids, seasonal allergies, and sleep disorder. The claim for service connection of tinnitus was reopened but not granted.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for lumbar spine degenerative disease and associated radiculopathies have been denied as the evidence does not show that his conditions meet or approximate the criteria for a higher rating under the applicable VA rating schedule.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied as there is no evidence of current hearing loss disability. The Veteran's tinnitus, however, was found to be related to his combat service and granted.,Service connection for tinnitus has been established due to the Veteran's reports of noise exposure during active duty and the presumption under 38 U.S.C. § 1154(b).

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to inadequate examination reports and incomplete review of the record. The Veteran's low back disability and bilateral piriformis syndrome with sacroiliac dysfunction and sciatica are being reviewed again by a different examiner.

The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's cause of death, finding that his causes of death were not related to service or a service-connected disability.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU due to his service-connected disabilities. The case is being remanded for further development.

The Board has found that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claims for service connection for headaches, chronic fatigue, sinusitis, a lumbar spine disability, and right lower extremity radiculopathy. However, the preponderance of the evidence is against finding that these conditions were incurred in or are otherwise related to service.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals seeking service connection for gastritis and increased ratings for low back disability, left lower extremity neuropathy, and right lower extremity neuropathy. The Board has dismissed these matters as a result.

The Board has determined that the reduction of ratings for right and left lower extremity sciatic neuropathy from 20 percent to 10 percent was improper, and has restored the original 20 percent ratings. The issues of increased ratings for lumbosacral spine disability and bilateral sciatic neuropathy are remanded due to lack of recent VA examination records.

The Veteran's claims for neck, low back, and right knee disabilities have been reopened. The low back disability claim is remanded due to new evidence received since the April 2014 rating decision. The right knee and right hip disability claims are also remanded as they may be related to service-connected conditions.

The Board has reopened the service connection claim for a low back disorder due to new and material evidence. However, the issue of whether the lumbar spine disability is related to active service remains pending as the case is remanded for further examination.

The Board dismissed all appeals for service connection and rating issues related to various conditions, including traumatic brain injury, hip conditions, spine condition, sleep disorder, hysterectomy, hemorrhoids, and obesity.

The Veteran's HIV is found to be secondary to her service-connected PTSD. The Board also finds that new and material evidence has been received to reopen her claims for low back and right knee disabilities, but does not provide a specific disposition on these issues.

The Veteran's right lumbar radiculopathy is remanded for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his disability. The TDIU claim is also remanded as it is inextricably intertwined with the increased rating claim.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for lumbosacral strain and sleep apnea have been reopened, with the former being granted.,Service connection is denied for hypertension, non-traumatic intracerebral hemorrhage (stroke), and right wrist condition.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for a back disability, sarcoidosis, hypertension, and right lower extremity neuropathy due to new and material evidence. The claims are remanded for further development including VA examinations.

The Board has found that remand is necessary to obtain additional medical records and to provide the Veteran with a VA examination to assess his current disability.

The Board has denied service connection for right elbow strain and remanded the low back condition claim due to insufficient evidence. The Veteran's right elbow strain is not related to her active duty, while her low back injury needs further investigation.