Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2021

The Board has granted service connection for a lumbar spine disorder and right lower extremity radiculopathy, finding that these conditions are related to the Veteran's active service.

The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate opinion regarding whether the Veteran's GERD is at least as likely as not proximately due to or aggravated by NSAID use associated with his service-connected low back disability.

The Board has granted the Veteran's application to reopen her claims for service connection for lumbar spine disability and denied her claim for service connection for pes planus. The appeal is remanded for further development regarding the lumbar spine disability.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 20 percent for degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the lumbar spine was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support an increased rating based on incapacitating episodes or under the General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine. Regarding TDIU, the Veteran's employment prior to August 1, 2015, precluded her from receiving a TDIU on a schedular basis. The Board also noted that she was employed after August 1, 2015, which further prevented her from receiving a TDIU on an extraschedular basis.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence regarding the Appellant's periods of active duty and OCS from June 1991 to March 1992. The VA is required to verify these dates and provide an addendum medical opinion on whether her claimed conditions are related to service, including aggravation during OCS.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient development regarding the Veteran's claim for TDIU. The Veteran is unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation as a result of his service-connected lumbar spine disability and PTSD.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims due to incomplete development and inadequate medical opinions. The issues include PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, headaches, lumbar spine disability, left foot disability, right foot disability, left ankle disability, right ankle disability, left knee disability, and right knee disability.

The Board has granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, but denied service connection for lumbar spine and left shoulder disabilities.

The Board has determined that there is at least an equipoise of evidence regarding the relationship between the Veteran's cervical spine degenerative arthritis and his service injury, thus granting service connection for this condition. The claim for thoracolumbar spine disability was denied as there is no credible evidence linking current symptoms to service.

The Veteran's claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 due to a June 2010 spinal cord stimulator implant surgery at a VA medical facility is remanded as the evidence of record is insufficient to resolve his claim.

The Board has remanded the issues of entitlement to an earlier effective date for service connection and a higher rating for valvular heart disease, as well as TDIU. The Veteran's claims are pending further development.

The Board dismissed the appellant's appeal for service connection of a left shoulder disability due to his withdrawal from the case.,Service connection was denied for back, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus disabilities as there is no probative evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for rheumatoid arthritis, hypertension (HTN), and hypothyroidism were dismissed. The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus was granted. Other claims are being remanded.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension as secondary to his service-connected disabilities, including degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine with IVDS and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy.

The Board denied service connection for lumbar spine disorder, hypertension, and sleep apnea. The Veteran's lumbar spine disorder is not related to his military service. His hypertension is not due to herbicide exposure or diabetes mellitus, type II. Sleep apnea was also not found to be related to service.

The Board has remanded the cases of service connection for lumbar spine and left foot disorders due to insufficient medical opinions.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for low back disability, prostate condition, and hypothyroidism due to exposure to environmental hazards during Gulf War service. The rating for low back disability remains on appeal.

The case is being remanded to obtain a new VA examination of the lumbar spine due to previous examinations not providing sufficient information about functional loss and flare-ups.

Your claim for service connection of your back disability has been granted by the agency of original jurisdiction (AOJ). The appeal is dismissed as you have already received the benefit.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been granted. The Board has also remanded several issues, including those related to bilateral hearing loss, arthritis of the right elbow, multiple fractures of the mandible, sleep apnea, and knee disabilities.