Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2022

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a back disability is granted. The right knee disability issue has been dismissed as moot, and the right and left ankle disabilities are remanded.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded due to insufficient medical opinions and need for additional development. The claims include low back disability, right and left carpal tunnel syndrome, acquired psychiatric condition (major depressive disorder and PTSD), and bilateral knee disabilities.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for back and toe disabilities due to inadequate opinions in the VA examinations, failure to consider lay evidence, and need for additional medical records.

The Board has remanded the claims for a new VA examination to determine the current nature and severity of the Veteran's lumbar spine disability, as the previous examination was deemed inadequate.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development regarding service connection for a lumbar spine disorder. The Board finds the previous VA opinions inadequate and requires an updated opinion that considers the Veteran's lay statements about his in-service activities.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence and need for additional examinations.

The Veteran's tinnitus and right ankle degenerative arthritis have been granted service connection. The low back disability secondary to the left ankle is being remanded for further review.,Service connection has been established for tinnitus due to in-service noise exposure, and for right ankle degenerative arthritis as a result of overuse secondary to his left ankle condition.

The Veteran's PTSD with residuals of a traumatic brain injury is rated at 70 percent, effective October 16, 2020. The rating for lumbosacral strain remains at 40 percent from January 14, 2021. TDIU was denied.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for thoracic, cervical, and lumbar spine disabilities due to incomplete STRs and lack of contemporaneous medical records.

The Veteran's cervical and lumbar spine disorders are currently rated at 20 percent, effective since October 6, 1998. The Board denied entitlement to higher ratings for these conditions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection and rating determinations due to new evidence being added to his case file.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a lumbar spine disability, finding that there was no evidence linking his current condition to his military service or any service-connected disabilities.

The Board dismissed the service connection claims for lumbar spine disability and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy due to the death of the appellant.

The Board has dismissed the appeal for the issue of increased disability rating for lumbosacral strain with degenerative joint disease due to withdrawal by the appellant. The issues of increased disability rating for left shoulder trapezius muscled strain and service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, secondary to PTSD, are remanded.

The Veteran withdrew his claims for service connection of a back condition and tinnitus, thus the appeal is dismissed.

The Veteran's service-connected left hip degenerative joint disease and lumbar spine degenerative disc disease rendered him unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment from April 8, 2013 to July 30, 2018. A TDIU on an extraschedular basis was granted for this period.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection due to inadequate opinions from the VA examiners. The claims will be reviewed again with new evidence and expert opinions.

The Veteran's appeal for an initial rating higher than 10 percent for hemorrhoids was denied. The Board found that the Veteran's symptoms did not meet the criteria for a higher rating.,The Veteran's appeal for an initial rating higher than 20 percent for lumbosacral strain with intervertebral disc syndrome and degenerative disc disease of the thoracic spine is remanded due to insufficient evidence regarding functional loss during flare-ups or after repetitive use over time.

The Veteran's initial 70 percent rating for PTSD is granted, with an effective date of May 14, 2008. The appeal regarding increased ratings and earlier effective dates for various conditions remains pending.

The Board has remanded the cases of service connection for a low back disability, radiculopathy associated with a low back disability, and bilateral hearing loss due to lack of adequate rationale in the private medical opinions provided by the Veteran. The VA is instructed to obtain private treatment records and schedule the Veteran for additional examinations.