Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2022

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to ensure the Veteran's and his attorney representative are properly informed of requests for evidence, and to obtain any outstanding records. The claims will be remanded for further action.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for low back, right knee disability, prostate cancer, left knee scar, and residuals of right ring finger fracture due to new evidence received. The TDIU claim is also remanded.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, left knee disability, right shoulder disability, low back disability, neck disability, and tinnitus. The Veteran's irritable bowel syndrome and bilateral plantar fasciitis are remanded.,Service connection is not granted for the claimed conditions as there is no evidence of current disabilities due to active service or any incident of service.

The Veteran's claim for a higher evaluation for his service-connected lumbar spine posterior facet degenerative changes is being remanded due to the need for further development and consideration of additional evidence.

The Board has determined that the VA examinations regarding the etiology of the Veteran's claimed low back and left knee conditions are inadequate. The claims for service connection are therefore remanded to obtain new medical opinions addressing the etiology of these disabilities.

The Veteran seeks service connection for left and right knee disabilities, which he claims are secondary to his service-connected back disability. The Board has remanded these issues due to the need for further development.,Service connection is being sought for left and right knee disabilities that the Veteran contends are related to his service-connected back disability.

Service connection is granted for a lumbar spine condition and sleep disorder. The Veteran's bilateral hip, balance problems, pelvis, and hamstring disabilities are secondary to his lumbar spine condition. Service connection is denied for cervical spine disability and urinary frequency as secondary to the luminal spine condition.

The Veteran withdrew all his appeals, including those for bilateral hearing loss, bladder cancer, left upper extremity neuropathy, right upper extremity neuropathy, and lumbar spine disability. The Board dismissed these claims as a result.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection and increased rating of his back disability and right foot disability due to inadequate medical opinions and need for further examination.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining Morning Reports from the Veteran's unit during Basic Training and seeking opinions on whether the Veteran's current joint disorders are related to his service or due to herbicide exposure. The claims of urinary incontinence, left thumb disorder, right thumb disorder, and rectal, bowel, or colon disability as due to military sexual assault have also been remanded.

The Veteran's lumbar spine, right hip, and left hip disorders have been denied as not related to his service or a service-connected disability.

The Veteran's appeal of his claim for service connection for a low back disability has been dismissed as he requested to withdraw the appeal prior to the Board making a decision.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's low back disabilities, finding that they were aggravated by his service-connected left knee disability.

An initial disability rating of 40 percent for the service-connected lumbar degenerative disc disease (back disability) from March 5, 2008 to July 28, 2021 is granted.

The Board found that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including hearing loss and tinnitus, rendered him unable to secure or maintain gainful employment prior to June 18, 2019.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for a lower back condition and hemorrhoids due to insufficient evidence of record. The Veteran must be provided with VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of his lower back condition, as well as whether his preexisting hemorrhoids permanently increased in severity during service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection of hypertension, heart disorder, BPH, cervical spine degenerative disc disease with cervical muscle spasm, lumbar spine degenerative disc disease and spondylosis, bilateral upper and lower extremity neuropathy, bilateral hip degenerative arthritis, right knee DJD, right ankle condition, vision disability (glaucoma and cataracts), and acquired psychiatric disorder. The Board found that these conditions are not related to service.

The Board denied service connection for lumbar spine disability, depressive disorder as secondary to bilateral hearing loss, and bilateral eye disability. The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is not shown to be related to his military service.

The Veteran's application to reopen the claim for service connection for residuals of chest injury is dismissed. The claims for increased rating for fibromyalgia, TDIU, and SMC are granted with effective dates as specified.

The Board has denied an increased rating for the Veteran's lumbosacral spine disability and has remanded the issue of total disability rating based on individual unemployability prior to July 26, 2017.