Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2020

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a low back disability, finding that it was not incurred or aggravated by service and is unrelated to his service-connected pilonidal cyst.

The Board has denied service connection for low back and neck disorders, finding that the evidence does not support a finding of in-service injury or disease. The Board also remanded issues regarding right and left knee disorders due to lack of verification of duty status during a period when the appellant was treated for bilateral knee injuries.,The decision on right and left knee disorders is pending as it has been remanded.

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral shoulder disability and low back disability. The Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral restless leg syndrome, peripheral polyneuropathy, and plantar fasciitis are remanded.,Service connection is not granted for the Veteran’s claimed conditions as there is no evidence of a nexus to service or continuity of symptomatology.

The Board denied service connection for ear, low back, right ankle, and right foot disabilities due to a lack of evidence showing the conditions were incurred or aggravated during military service.

The Veteran's hypertension is currently rated at 10 percent and denied for a higher evaluation.,Service connection for low back, bilateral shoulder, and left elbow disorders are remanded due to inadequate VA examination opinions.,No service connection will be granted based on the provided evidence.,Further medical evaluations are needed to determine if these conditions are related to military service.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate medical opinions and a need for further development. The Veteran's claim of service connection for post-operative residuals of a lumbar spine injury is being reviewed.

The Board has denied the Veteran's secondary service connection claims for his right and left ankle disorders, low back disorder, right hip disorder, and left hip disorder as they are not caused or aggravated by his service-connected knee disabilities.

The Board has granted service connection for a thoracolumbar spine disability and denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder. The thoracolumbar spine disability is related to in-service findings, while the psychiatric disorder is not related to service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a cervical spine disability and TDIU due to service-connected disabilities. The case is being returned for further development, including obtaining additional medical records and providing an updated VA examination.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for arthritis of the spine and cervical spine degenerative arthritis, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's low back disability is rated at 40 percent from November 5, 2019. The appeal for higher ratings has been denied.

The Veteran's degenerative disc disease of the thoracolumbar spine and cervical spine have been granted disability evaluations of 40% and 30%, respectively, for the entire appeal period.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for an initial evaluation in excess of 20 percent for a lumbar spine disability and an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for right lower extremity radiculopathy, finding that the evidence did not meet the criteria for higher ratings based on limitation of motion or other manifestations.

The Veteran's appeal for a disability rating in excess of 20 percent for lumbar strain and the issue of entitlement to TDIU are both remanded due to duty to assist errors. The issues are inextricably intertwined, so only one can be decided at this time.

The Board has remanded the claims for lumbar spine disability, bilateral knee disabilities, and upper respiratory disability due to exposure to smoke and chemicals during service. The Veteran's contentions are that these conditions were caused or aggravated by his military service.

The Veteran's claim for an increased disability rating of 40 percent for a lumbar spine condition is granted. The Veteran's claim for TDIU is also granted.

The Board has determined that the VA examinations conducted in February 2020 are inadequate for assessing the Veteran's range of motion. Therefore, a new examination is required to determine if there is any structural abnormality and whether passive range of motion would be more limited than active.

The Board has granted service connection for lumbosacral strain and mechanical back pain syndrome, finding that the current low back disorder is proximately due to his service-connected right foot plantar fasciitis. The decision also readjudicates the claim of entitlement to service connection for a low back disorder.

The Board has determined that new and relevant evidence has been received to reopen the claim for service connection of a lumbar spine disorder. The case is remanded for further development, including a VA examination.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for left ear hearing loss, tinnitus, and arthrosis of the lumbar spine at L5-S1 have been granted. The effective dates for these grants are November 6, 2013. However, an earlier effective date of November 15, 2012 has also been granted for service connection for tinnitus and arthrosis of the lumbar spine at L5-S1.