Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2022

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete service records and the need for a VA examination to determine if the Veteran's lumbar spine condition is related to his military service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for hypertension, bilateral hip strain, bilateral knee arthritis, and cervical spine degenerative disc disease due to inadequate or missing VA opinions on causation and aggravation.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for depression and low back disability, as well as the TDIU claim due to inadequate medical opinions addressing aggravation. The Veteran's disabilities are being evaluated again with a focus on whether they have been aggravated by his service-connected conditions.

The Board has decided to remand several issues related to the Veteran's service-connected conditions, including his back disability and bladder condition.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities result in a combined rating of 100 percent prior to November 13, 2017. However, the Board finds that his single disability rated at 100 percent does not render him unemployable due to these conditions alone.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records and conducting additional examinations. The Veteran seeks increased ratings for his service-connected TBI but the evidence does not support a higher rating.

The Veteran's back disability, right and left lower extremity radiculopathy affecting the sciatic nerve, and right and left lower extremity radiculopathy affecting the femoral nerve are all rated at 20 percent since November 12, 2021.

The Board has remanded the claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to additional development being necessary.

The Board denied service connection for residuals of Guillain-Barre Syndrome, an upper back disability, and sleep apnea. The Veteran's claims were based on in-service exposure to high frequency voltage power lines and high frequency radios.,The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding that any of these conditions began during or are otherwise related to service.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for her back disability (lumbosacral strain and intervertebral disc syndrome) from February 20, 2014 to July 28, 2017 was granted. She is now rated at 40 percent for this period.

The Veteran's cervical spine disability was rated at 10 percent prior to March 21, 2019, and 30 percent thereafter. The claim for increased ratings is denied as the criteria for higher ratings were not met.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for a lumbar spine disability, hypertension (to include as secondary to PTSD), and a skin disability due to inadequate opinions in previous VA examinations. The cases are returned for further development.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for lumbosacral strain and for right shoulder, right knee, and left knee disabilities due to potential issues with the Veteran's death. The cases will be returned to the Board once it is confirmed whether the Veteran is deceased.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development due to missing records and clarification of the nature of the claimed disabilities.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, but has remanded them for further development and consideration.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating higher than 20 percent for lumbar spine degenerative arthritis is remanded due to the need for a VA examination to assess the current severity of his disability.

The Veteran's claim for total disability based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities for the period prior to March 28, 2017 is being remanded as there are insufficient records of functional impairment during that time.

The Veteran's thyroid disability, gout of the feet, IBS with hepatitis B, lumbosacral disability, left and right lower extremity radiculopathy are all granted. However, several issues remain unresolved and need further review.

The Board has granted service connection for kidney cancer and denied service connection for a low back disability. The kidney cancer is found to be at least as likely as not related to in-service environmental exposures, while the low back disability is determined to have no direct relationship to service or service-connected knee disabilities.

The Board has remanded the cases due to the need for further development and an addendum opinion regarding the Veteran's left knee injury.