Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2021

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection and rating of his low back disability, right knee disabilities, left knee disabilities, and right ear hearing loss due to inadequate medical opinions.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for right knee and leg disability, left knee and leg disability, and lower back disability due to ambiguity regarding process of law and outstanding medical records.

The Veteran's initial evaluations for degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine have been denied as his disability has not met the criteria for an increased rating.

The VA is unable to locate the complete file for your claim of service connection for low back strain. The AOJ must reconstruct the record and upload all documentation related to the appeal to the electronic claims file. If records are not available, a formal finding of unavailability should be made.

The Board has remanded the case for a determination on whether TDIU should be granted on an extraschedular basis, as the Court found that the Board did not adequately address the Veteran's claim.

The Board dismissed the Veteran's petitions to reopen his previously denied claims for service connection for DM and pancreatitis. The petition to reopen his claim of service connection for a back condition was granted, as were those for peripheral neuropathy of the RLE and LLE.

The Veteran's bilateral breast calcification, claimed as fibrocystic breast disability, is granted service connection. The issues of hypertension, urinary hesitancy, ovarian cyst disability, TMJ disorder, and other disabilities are remanded for further development.

The Veteran's claim for an increased disability evaluation for lumbar spine disorder was denied. The appeal challenging the reduction of his disability rating from 40% to 20% was also denied.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability was found to have started during his military service and has continued since then, meeting the criteria for service connection.

The Veteran's claim for a higher initial rating for his service-connected DJD in the lumbar spine from July 7, 2008 is denied. The TDIU issue is remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence and need for additional examination.

The Board has granted service connection for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine and sciatica of the left lower extremity, finding that these conditions are related to the Veteran's in-service parachute jump injury. The decision also notes that the Veteran's current symptoms align with his history of back pain following a parachuting accident.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 40 percent for mechanical low back with lumbar radiculitis is denied. The issue of entitlement to TDIU due to service-connected disabilities on an extraschedular basis is remanded.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional medical records.

The Board has dismissed the appeal seeking an earlier effective date for service connection of the low back disability. The claims for increased rating and TDIU related to this condition are remanded.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from obtaining or maintaining gainful employment, and therefore a TDIU is denied.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate previous examinations and a need for a new VA examination to assess the Veteran's low back disability, including pain on weight bearing.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of a low back disability, finding that the preponderance of evidence did not support a finding that his current condition began during active service or was related to an in-service injury.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 10 percent prior to September 20, 2016, and a rating in excess of 30 percent from September 20, 2016, to January 21, 2020, for coronary artery disease was denied. The claim for entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability prior to August 25, 2015, was also denied.

The Board has denied service connection for hypertension and remanded the issue of service connection for a lumbar spine disability. The hypertension claim is denied as there is no credible evidence that it was present in service or within one year after separation, nor does it have continuity of symptomatology since service. The lumbar spine disability claim is remanded due to an inadequate examination.