Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2020

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a back disability and sleep apnea, finding no competent evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has remanded the cases due to insufficient medical opinions and need for additional development.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is dismissed as moot since he had a combined 100% schedular rating for his service-connected disabilities from July 2009 onwards, but not with one rated as totally disabling.

The Veteran's service-connected low back disability rendered him unemployable from October 13, 2009 to November 11, 2019, and the Board granted a TDIU rating on an extraschedular basis for this period.

The Veteran is granted a rating of 40 percent for his lumbar or lumbosacral spine DJD and DDD, but the issue of entitlement to TDIU remains remanded due to lack of response from the Veteran.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for a low back disability, sinus disability, migraine headaches, and sciatica due to conflicting opinions on whether the Veteran's conditions preexisted his military service. The case is also remanded for consideration of TDIU.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing and following gainful employment consistent with his educational and occupational experience. The Board denied the claim for a TDIU on an extraschedular basis prior to May 2, 2014.

The Board has determined that an additional remand is necessary due to the RO's failure to provide a retrospective opinion on the Veteran's lumbar spine condition, as required by the CAVC. The case will be returned for further development.

The Board has remanded the claim for service connection of a low back disability due to insufficient evidence regarding its onset during or shortly after service. The Veteran needs to provide VA with any relevant medical records and undergo a VA examination to determine if his current condition is related to his military service.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's low back disorder. The examiner is asked to provide an opinion on whether it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran’s low back disorders manifested in or were otherwise causally related to his military service, including reported injuries.

The Veteran's initial claim for service connection for sleep apnea was denied in July 2005, but reopened due to new evidence presented. The claims of service connection for a back disorder and skin disorder were also reopened. A rating higher than 30 percent for PTSD prior to February 20, 2019 is denied, while a 50 percent rating from that date onward is granted. The Veteran's PFB remains rated at 10 percent.

Service connection is granted for lumbosacral strain. The Veteran's current low back disorder is etiologically related to a back injury in service.,Service connection is denied for right ankle pain and left ankle pain, as well as obstructive sleep apnea. There is no evidence of chronic disability in service or post-service continuity of symptomatology.,Service connection is remanded for right wrist pain, cold and upper respiratory infections (claimed as sinus disorder), and bilateral partially compensated flatfoot and plantar fasciitis.

The Veteran's claims for service connection, increased ratings, and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional medical records and an addendum opinion regarding her cardiac disability. The VA examinations were not fully compliant with the requirements of Correia v. McDonald (2016).

The Board has remanded the cases due to inadequate development and need for a new opinion regarding service connection for back disorder, which could impact hip and knee disorders.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records from Van Zandt VAMC and possibly a medical addendum opinion.

The Board has remanded the cases due to inadequate VA examinations and requests for new evaluations.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a back disorder, finding that the preponderance of evidence is against his claim and that his back disorder was not incurred in or caused by an in-service injury, event, or illness.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate nexus opinions regarding the Veteran's back condition, which may have been caused or aggravated by service. The Veteran is seeking service connection for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his lumbar disability from September 20, 2012 to October 30, 2019 is denied. The Board has also remanded the issue of entitlement to Total Disability Rating Based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU).

The Board granted an initial rating of 40 percent for the appellant's lumbar spine disability, effective March 7, 2011.,An initial rating of 10 percent was granted for right lower extremity radiculopathy of the sciatic nerve, effective June 10, 2005.,An initial rating of 10 percent was granted for left lower extremity radiculopathy of the sciatic nerve, also effective June 10, 2005.,The Board granted a TDIU (Total Disability Rating Based on Individual Unemployability) effective August 1, 2006.