Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2021

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a lumbosacral spine disability, finding that there was no evidence showing the condition had its onset in service or is otherwise causally related to service.

The Veteran's service-connected musculoskeletal disabilities, including her bilateral knee and lumbar spine conditions, have prevented her from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment since April 10, 2017.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient development and lack of substantial compliance with previous remand directives.

The Veteran's lumbar spine IVDS is granted at a 40 percent evaluation beginning November 17, 2016. The initial evaluations for sciatic radiculopathy of the left and right lower extremities are denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's petition to reopen his claim for service connection of a back disability, finding that new and material evidence had not been submitted.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's right and left knee disabilities, but denied service connection for other conditions including a duodenal ulcer, lumbar spine disability, neuropathy of the lower legs, cervical spine disability, neuropathy of the upper arm, right ankle disability, left shoulder disability, right shoulder disability, and bilateral shin splints.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected low back disability and radiculopathy are being remanded due to the addition of new evidence.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 50 percent for service-connected pansinusitis with headaches was denied.,The Veteran's claim for TDIU benefits due to his service-connected disabilities was granted.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to his service-connected PTSD and lumbar spine disabilities, finding that there is no medical evidence showing a nexus between these conditions.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to incomplete records, and requests that VA attempt to obtain any remaining service medical records. The AOJ must document all efforts made and provide a formal finding of unavailability if no further records are found.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied. His bilateral hearing loss was rated as noncompensable, diabetes mellitus at 20 percent, right and left knee degenerative joint disease each at 10 percent, lumbar spine degenerative disc disease at 10 percent, and erectile dysfunction did not warrant a compensable rating.

The Board has granted service connection for a bilateral knee disorder and remanded the issues of rating in excess of 40 percent for lumbosacral strain and TDIU.

The appeal was dismissed because the appellant died during the pendency of the appeal, and thus the Board has no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of this case.

The Board has granted service connection for right shoulder and lower back disabilities, but the appeal regarding a respiratory disability is remanded.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for back and neck conditions due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their relationship to his military service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for back disability and right foot disability due to his service-connected left ankle disability. The claims are being returned for further development, including a new VA examination.

The Veteran's lower back disorder and radiculopathies were granted a rating of 20 percent effective June 5, 2009. The previous ratings for the period before June 5, 2009 are denied.

The Board has remanded the cases of the Veteran's low back and left ankle disorders due to insufficient evidence regarding their etiology. The VA is instructed to obtain private treatment records from Phoenix Physical Therapy and SSA records for further evaluation.

The Veteran's claim for a disability rating in excess of 20 percent for lumbosacral strain is denied.,The Veteran's claims for compensable disability ratings prior to October 1, 2019, and in excess of 20 percent thereafter, for radiculopathy of the right lower extremity are denied.,The Veteran's claim for a compensable disability rating prior to October 1, 2019, and in excess of 20 percent thereafter, for radiculopathy of the left lower extremity is denied.