Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2022

The Board denied service connection for back, neck, left shoulder, and right shoulder disabilities due to a lack of evidence linking these conditions to service or the one-year presumptive period.,Service connection was not granted as there is no credible evidence supporting the Veteran's claims that his current disabilities were incurred during military service.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD is rated at 70 percent disabling, but the Board finds that a higher evaluation is not warranted. The evidence does not show total occupational and social impairment due to symptoms such as persistent delusions or hallucinations, memory loss, or disorientation to time and place.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for additional development due to scheduling issues with VA examinations. The main issues are determining if sleep apnea is related to service-connected PTSD and assessing the severity of his back disability.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea, as secondary to his service-connected disabilities, should be remanded due to insufficient opinions regarding whether his weight gain and obesity are caused or aggravated by his service-connected conditions.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a back disability is being remanded due to the need for an examination.,The Veteran's claims for additional disabling effects of scarring to include impairment of the ability to eat and speak are being remanded as VA undertakes the effort to provide the Veteran with a VA examination, which must be adequate in order to fully form its evaluation of the claim.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for a dental disorder for both VA compensation purposes and treatment purposes are being remanded due to the need for an examination.,The Veteran's initial disability rating of 10 percent under Diagnostic Code 7804 for scarring of the upper lip is being remanded, as well as his initial noncompensable disability rating under Diagnostic Code 7800 for scarring of the upper lip.

The previously denied claims of service connection for low back disability, right hip disability, and insomnia have been reopened.,Service connection has been granted for the previously reopened claim of service connection for insomnia.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is remanded due to the need for a new VA examination to assess his current functional impairment caused by his service-connected disabilities, including spinal stenosis, right knee disability, and low back pain.

The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to insufficient opinions regarding obesity and sleep apnea.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to inadequate medical opinions provided in a previous remand. The case is now returned for further review.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are remanded due to the need for additional examinations and opinions regarding her lumbar spine, left hip, right ankle, left ankle, and costochondritis conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, when combined, have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation since January 1, 2016.

The Board has granted effective dates of October 16, 2014 for the award of a 20 percent disability rating for intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS) and degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, and December 8, 2014 for service connection for left lower extremity radiculopathy.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection on three different conditions (neurological disorder, PTSD, and lower back disorder) have been dismissed due to the death of the appellant.

The Veteran's service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss, degenerative disc disease of the lumbosacral spine, right knee joint osteoarthritis, left knee joint osteoarthritis, right hip joint osteoarthritis, and left hip joint osteoarthritis have all been denied as there is no evidence showing these conditions were incurred in or aggravated by service.,The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and degenerative disc disease of the lumbosacral spine are not supported by competent medical evidence linking his current disabilities to service, including exposure to herbicide agents.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's lumbar spine disability is related to his active-duty service or manifested within one year of separation.

The Board denied service connection for back and shoulder disabilities, finding no evidence of a nexus to service. Service connection for renal toxicity was also denied as the Veteran's ESRD was attributed to benign prostatic hypertrophy rather than exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.

The Veteran's lumbosacral strain and left lower extremity radiculopathy are currently rated at their maximum levels, with no higher ratings granted. The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings.

The Board has denied service connection for low back, neck, and right shoulder disabilities due to a lack of in-service event, disease, or injury related to these conditions.

The Veteran's low back disability is rated at 40% from March 1, 2016. The appeal for a higher rating or extraschedular consideration remains pending.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities prior to May 31, 2016, finding that his service-connected lumbar spine and left lower extremity radiculopathy alone did not preclude him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment.