Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2022

The Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities and intervertebral disc disease of the lumbar spine with left lower extremity radiculopathy are granted as secondary to his service-connected bilateral knee disabilities.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for pes planus, bilateral hip condition, low back condition, and right knee condition due to their inextricably intertwined nature with his claim of service connection for pes planus. The case will be returned for further development.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for various conditions due to insufficient evidence and need for further examination. The Veteran's claims are not currently decided on their merits.

The Board has reopened the claims for service connection for bilateral flat feet, back disability, jaw disability, bilateral hearing loss, and nerve disability. However, these claims are still pending as they have been remanded due to additional evidence being requested.

The Board has ordered the AOJ to schedule examinations for the Veteran's back and left knee disabilities, as well as obtain opinions from the examiner addressing the likely causes of these conditions. The case is being remanded due to inadequate medical examination reports.

The claims for service connection have been remanded due to the receipt of new and material evidence. The Veteran's hypertension, respiratory disability (shortness of breath), low back disability, and bilateral leg disability are all at issue.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral foot disability and lumbar spine disability, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are at least as likely as not related to his active duty service. Service connection was denied for psychiatric disability (PTSD, anxiety, and depression).

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's lumbar strain and whether it is secondary to her service-connected pes planus. The case will be returned for further development.

The Board has remanded the cases due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the Veteran's lumbar spine and right leg disabilities, specifically whether they are aggravated by a pre-existing condition or related to service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to incomplete records and conflicting statements regarding hearing requests. The claims are related to presumed herbicide agent exposure, but no VA examiner has provided an opinion on whether any of the claimed conditions are related to service or herbicide exposure.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for cervical spine and low back disabilities, finding that there is no evidence of a current disability related to his military service.,Service connection was not granted as the Veteran did not provide sufficient evidence to establish a link between his current conditions and his active duty service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings have been granted with effective dates of December 29, 2014.,These decisions are based on the Veteran filing her claims electronically in the VA eBenefits system prior to submitting a formal claim.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hip trochanteric pain syndrome, left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome, lumbar spine DDD, and right lower extremity radiculopathy. The Veteran is also granted a TDIU based on her service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's chronic muscular strain and degenerative disc disease in the thoracic and lumbar spine were granted a rating of 40 percent from May 2, 2018, through August 15, 2018. The symptoms included flexion limited to 12 degrees, abnormal gait, and radiating pain.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions do not meet the eligibility criteria for financial assistance in purchasing an automobile or adaptive equipment under VA regulations.

The Veteran's tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss disability are currently rated as noncompensable. The cervical spine, bilateral hip, shoulder, hand, foot, lumbar spine, and left knee disabilities have not been service connected.,The Board finds that additional development is needed to determine if the Veteran's current cervical spine, bilateral hip, shoulder, hand, foot, lumbar spine, and left knee disabilities are related to his INACDUTRA or aggravated by a preexisting right knee disability.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection due to inadequate medical opinions and failure to address certain factors in the previous decisions.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for various joint disabilities associated with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome have been denied. The RO has granted additional service connection and assigned new ratings, but the Veteran is not entitled to higher ratings under current regulations.

The Veteran's right hip, left hip, right knee, and left knee disorders are all granted service connection.,The Veteran's low back disorder is also granted service connection.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for lumbar spine strain and left lower extremity radiculopathy are being remanded due to the need for updated VA examinations.