Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2020

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for various disabilities, including an acquired psychiatric disorder, right and left eye disabilities, right and left knee disabilities, and a back disability. The claims are being remanded due to insufficient evidence to decide the nature and etiology of these conditions.

The Board has denied service connection for back disability, prostate cancer, lung disability, and bilateral eye disability as the evidence does not support a link to service or exposure to ionizing radiation.

The Board has remanded the case due to non-compliance with previous directives and for further development, including obtaining a medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected disabilities combined resulted in debilitating effects that rendered him less capable of resisting heart disease.

The Board has found that the Veteran's claims for higher staged ratings for thoracic and lumbar spondylosis with degenerative disc disease, as well as his claim for VA compensation and/or dental treatment for loss of teeth secondary to service-connected thoracic and lumbar spondylosis with degenerative disc disease, must be remanded due to the addition of new and relevant evidence since the most recent Supplemental Statement of the Case in September 2012. The claims will be reviewed again by the AOJ.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a low back disorder, bilateral shoulder disorder, and GERD. The Board found that there was no evidence to support a causal relationship between these conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's claim for an initial disability rating higher than 10 percent for lumbosacral spine degenerative joint disease is being remanded due to the failure to report for a scheduled VA examination. The Veteran must be properly notified and another examination should be conducted.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for further development due to outstanding VA and non-VA treatment records not being obtained. The Veteran is also required to provide authorization for release of his private medical records.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his lumbar spine disability is denied. The right knee disability has been granted service connection.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a higher rating for her lower back disability and PTSD, as well as her claim for TDIU due to service-connected disabilities. The Veteran is required to provide updated employment history information, and she will be scheduled for VA examinations to assess the severity of her lower back disability and PTSD.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and DJD of the lumbar spine, but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and hypertension. The decision also remanded several other issues.

The Veteran's low back disability, including myofascial pain syndrome and degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, has been rated at 20 percent. The Board denied a higher rating as his symptoms do not meet or nearly approach criteria for ankylosis or limitation of forward flexion to 30 degrees.

The Veteran's claim for hepatitis C and low back disability have been reopened, and service connection has been granted for the low back disability. The claim for hepatitis C remains pending.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate VA examinations and the need for additional evidence. The Veteran's lumbar spine disability claim is being returned to the AOJ for further development.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for increased evaluations and service connection are remanded due to inadequate examinations, missing VA treatment records, and new evidence not being considered.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the cause of death and whether service-connected disabilities contributed to it. The Veteran died from a brain tumor, but without known pathology of the brain mass, no definite determination can be made on whether the brain mass was related to military service or metastasized from his service-connected prostate cancer.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence to support the Veteran's claims for service connection for back, neck, and lower extremity neuropathy. The VA examiners concluded that these conditions were not related to his military service.

The Board denied a rating in excess of 10 percent for the Veteran's thoracolumbar spine disability, finding that the evidence did not show forward flexion limited to 60 degrees or less and combined ranges of motion functionally limited to 120 degrees or less.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for lumbar spine condition, cervical spine condition, left foot condition, and gastrointestinal disorder have all been denied as the evidence does not support a link between these conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings and TDIU was denied. The lumbar spine disability is rated at 20 percent prior to October 19, 2017, and at 40 percent as of that date.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for further development, including VA examinations and obtaining medical records. The issues of service connection for knee, shoulder, foot, hand, and low back conditions are being addressed.