Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2022

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and the issues of evaluating his lumbar spine disability and service connection for chronic pain syndrome have been dismissed.

The Board denied service connection for thoracolumbar spine disorder, hypertension, neurological disorder, headaches, and acquired mental disorder (PTSD), finding that the Veteran's conduct in AWOL was willful misconduct and not related to his current conditions.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for an evaluation in excess of 20 percent for his lumbar spine disability from October 20, 1995 to July 30, 1996 or beginning July 31, 1996. For the period from October 20, 1995 to June 11, 2013, he was granted initial evaluations of 10 percent for radiculopathy of both lower extremities. The TDIU claim was also granted.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a rating in excess of 10 percent for his lumbar spine disability and for TDIU due to incomplete development of records.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate review of the Veteran's claims file, including his testimony and medical records. A new VA examination is needed to determine if the low back condition had its onset during active service or is otherwise related to an in-service disease, event, or injury.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical examination and need for a new VA examination.

The Board has granted the Veteran's appeals to reopen his claims for service connection for a back disability and bilateral hearing loss. However, both issues have been remanded due to the need for additional development of evidence.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's lower back condition. The Veteran is seeking service connection for a lower back disability, and the case will be reviewed again with new medical opinions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine is related to his service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran is granted special monthly compensation for regular aid and attendance due to her service-connected disabilities, including posttraumatic stress disorder, bowel incontinence, degenerative arthritis of the spine with degenerative disc disease thoracic spine and lumbar disc disease status post fusion, right lower extremity radiculopathy (sciatic nerve), left lower extremity radiculopathy (sciatic nerve), status post total right knee replacement, chondromalacia patella left knee with arthrotomy and osteoarthritis (limitation of extension), chondromalacia patella left knee with arthrotomy and osteoarthritis (instability), right lower extremity radiculopathy (femoral nerve), left lower extremity radiculopathy (femoral nerve), right knee scars, left knee scar, female sexual arousal disorder, surgical scar of the neck area, surgical scar of the anterior trunk, and surgical scars of the lumbar spine.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for low back, neck, left knee, and right knee disabilities as well as hypertension due to unclear opinions from a VA examiner.

The Board found that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment, thus denying his claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating of 20 percent for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine was granted. The effective date is not specified as it is a grant of benefits.

The Veteran's claim for bilateral hearing loss has been denied as he does not have a current disability.,Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (insomnia) is denied due to lack of evidence showing the condition during or proximate to the appeal period, and because alcohol dependence is not service-connected.,The issue of service connection for a left eye disability has been remanded as there are conflicting opinions regarding the presence of a current disability.,Service connection for low back joint pain, right knee joint pain, left knee joint pain, right ankle joint pain, and left shoulder joint pain have all been remanded due to insufficient evidence or lack of proper examination.,reasoning_1_sentence_service_connection_for_bilateral_hearing_loss_and_acquired_psychiatric_disorder_direct,confidence_score_0.9

The appeal for service connection on all issues except hypertension has been dismissed. The claim for reopening of the previously denied claim for service connection for hypertension is granted.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for an updated VA examination to assess the current nature and severity of the Veteran's service-connected lumbar degenerative joint disease (DJD) status post bilateral laminectomies from L4-S1 and fusion.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and opinions.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding the Veteran's low back disability and its relation to service.

The Veteran's back disability, including associated sciatic and femoral nerve radiculopathies, is rated at 40 percent since December 14, 2021. The rating for the back disability remains granted.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for a back disorder and headaches, to include as secondary to service-connected MDD with PTSD and/or tinnitus due to incomplete development. The Veteran's back disorder is related to his in-service slip and fall injury, while the cause of his headaches remains unclear.