Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2021

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and has remanded the remaining issues due to lack of STRs and need for further examinations.

The Board found no evidence to support a service connection for the Veteran's chronic back disability, as her current condition is not related to her military service or within one year of discharge.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for a back disorder, as well as his claims for increased ratings for bilateral knee and heel disabilities. The Veteran is also being asked to provide new evidence regarding his claim of TDIU.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to inadequate examination and opinion regarding service connection for lumbar spine disorder, radiculopathy of the right lower extremity, and cervical spine disorder.

The Veteran's PTSD is granted as service-connected due to in-service combat stressors.,The Veteran's degenerative disc disease of the thoracolumbar spine with dextroscoliosis is granted as service-connected based on a period of ACDUTRA in December 1987.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not render him unable to secure or follow any form of substantially gainful employment prior to August 3, 2009.

The Veteran's claims for lumbar herniated discs L4/L5/S1 status post microdiscectomy, infertility, and bilateral hearing loss have been granted. The claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied due to lack of evidence meeting VA criteria for a disability rating.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a back disability, finding that there was no evidence of a chronic disease in service and insufficient medical evidence to establish a nexus between current symptoms and service.

The Board has granted service connection for lumbar spondylosis. The cervical spine disability claim is remanded due to the need for a medical opinion.

The Veteran's lumbar spine degenerative disc disease, status post discectomy was not productive of functional impairment comparable to unfavorable ankylosis of the entire spine or had intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS) with incapacitating episodes having a total duration of 6 weeks or more during the past 12 months. As such, his disability rating remains at 50 percent.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for service connection of a back condition, as there were issues with the adequacy of the previous VA examination and the need for additional private medical records.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 50 percent disabling, resulting in occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for increased ratings of lumbosacral strain and unspecified anxiety disorder before the Board could make a decision.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for all issues related to headaches, lumbar spine disorder, TMJ, right lower extremity radiculopathy, right great toe metatarsophalangeal joint arthritis, left foot bursitis, and TBI. The appeal was dismissed.

The Veteran's TDIU claim for the period from January 1, 2013, to June 6, 2016, was granted. The TDIU claim for periods prior to January 1, 2013, was denied.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is rated at 20% since August 28, 2020. The Board has found the evidence insufficient to warrant a higher rating under DCs 5242 or 5243 due to lack of incapacitating episodes and functional loss.

The Board has granted service connection for a back disability and radiculopathy of the left lower extremity, but denied service connection for radiculopathy of the right lower extremity.,The Veteran's claim for TDIU is also granted.

The Veteran's initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss prior to November 14, 2019 is denied.,Service connection for a low back disorder and bilateral hip disorder are granted.

The Veteran's GERD is granted a 30% rating effective February 29, 2016. The Board has remanded the claims for service connection of low back disability, left hip disability, right hip disability, and bilateral pes planus.

The Veteran's service connection claims for Parkinson’s disease and mechanical low back pain syndrome were denied. The Veteran was granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to his service-connected disabilities.