Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2022

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and opinion regarding service connection for sleep disability, osteoarthritis, and fibromyalgia. The Veteran's claims are not granted as there is no direct evidence linking these conditions to his military service or any event during service.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including back disability, hypothyroidism, cataracts of the eyes, hypertension, bilateral eye diabetic retinopathy, diabetes mellitus type II, coronary artery disease, and depression, as they were not found to be related to service.

The Board has found that a VA examination is needed to determine the etiology of the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea, which may be secondary to his service-connected disabilities. The examiner will assess whether obesity acts as an intermediate step connecting his obstructive sleep apnea to a service-connected disability.

The Board has denied service connection for GERD, hypertension, a back disability, left foot disability, and right foot disability as there is no credible evidence of chronic or continuous symptoms since service.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is currently rated at 20 percent, and the Board has decided to remand for a new examination to assess the current severity of his condition.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection on the merits of his bilateral hearing loss, left ankle disability, and back disability is remanded due to a previous denial in April 2013. The issues are being returned to the RO for further development.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, cervical neck disability, left shoulder disability, lumbar disability, right lower extremity disability, and left lower extremity disability due to incomplete examinations and lack of military personnel records. Additional evidence is needed before a determination can be made.

The Board has determined that the VA examination and opinion are inadequate for adjudication purposes, and thus remands the case to obtain a new medical opinion addressing the etiology of the Veteran's claimed degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine. The examiner is asked to consider whether this condition is related to service or secondary to his service-connected bilateral patellofemoral pain syndrome.

The Veteran's bilateral hip condition is granted as secondary to his service-connected lumbar spine intervertebral disc syndrome. The claims for increased evaluations of the service-connected lumbar spine IVDS, right lower extremity sciatica, and left lower extremity sciatica are remanded.

The Board has granted service connection for cervical spine degenerative disc disease and lumbar spine degenerative disc disease, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are related to his in-service fall injury.

The Veteran's back disability was rated at 10 percent prior to September 11, 2020 and denied for higher ratings. The rating remained at 10 percent from September 11, 2020 to November 5, 2021 and again denied for higher ratings. For the period from November 5, 2021 to April 27, 2022, a disability rating of 10 percent was granted.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a low back disability, finding insufficient evidence to establish that his current degenerative disc disease began during or was related to his military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, lumbar spine disability, and radiculopathy of both lower extremities due to lack of a current diagnosis for PTSD and failure to cooperate with VA examination requests.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development and adjudication due to inadequate opinions provided by VA examiners regarding the Veteran's lumbar spine condition prior to January 22, 2016.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for low back disability and right sciatic nerve radiculopathy were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his symptoms.

The Board denied a rating in excess of 20 percent for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine with spondylosis and denied service connection for a left ankle disorder. The Veteran's low back disability was rated at 20 percent, while his left ankle disorder was not found to be related to service.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claim for service connection for chronic low back pain should be remanded due to a lack of an examination and because the opinions relied on the absence of corroborating evidence, which may not have been fully considered.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for a back disorder and pancreatitis due to incomplete development of his medical records, particularly those from before 2007. The VA examiner is requested to provide opinions regarding whether these conditions are related to service.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient reasons and bases for denying service connection for a back disability. Additional evidence submitted by the Veteran is requested for consideration.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to inadequate medical opinions and incomplete review of his medical records. The claims are now pending with VA.