Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2023

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for cervical spinal stenosis and fusion, lumbar spine disability, right knee disability, left knee disability, right shoulder disability, and initial rating in excess of 20 percent for a left shoulder disability due to incomplete VA examinations and outstanding records.

The Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, a back condition, left knee condition, right knee condition, and right wrist strain or CTS have been granted. The issue of entitlement to service connection for a right ankle condition is remanded.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's left knee disability, low back disability, variously diagnosed psychiatric disorder (PTSD and major depression), hypertension, and left ear hearing loss. The maximum schedular rating of 10% is assigned for tinnitus.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection and rating of his lumbar spine degenerative disc disease and left hip tendonitis, as these issues are intertwined with a TDIU claim. The VA will need to provide an adequate examination to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's conditions.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for a residual of a head injury is dismissed because the claim has been granted in a previous rating decision. Service connection for a cervical spine disability is granted, but the lumbar spine disability issue remains pending and needs further development.

The Board has remanded the case due to new and material evidence received since the July 1997 rating decision, which raised a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim for service connection for lumbosacral strain.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development due to inadequate VA opinions and failure to comply with prior remand directives.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for cervical and thoracolumbar spine disabilities, as well as sciatica. The Veteran's representative provided arguments based on medical literature in November 2023, which necessitates an addendum opinion from a VA clinician.

The Veteran's initial rating for bilateral spondylosis with lumbar spondylosis prior to April 25, 2023 was denied. The Veteran's increased rating claim for IVDS with bilateral spondylosis with lumbar spondylosis from April 25, 2023 was also denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for lumbar spine and right foot disabilities are being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been granted, and the issues of entitlement to service connection for a stomach disorder, right knee disorder, low back disorder, left thigh disorder, left foot drop, and tinnitus are remanded due to new evidence submitted.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development, including obtaining VA examinations and medical opinions to assess the current severity of his service-connected knee disabilities and to determine if they are related to active duty service. The Veteran also needs to be examined for his claimed left index finger and right foot disabilities.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude her from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation consistent with her education and work experience prior to October 9, 2019.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for a joint pain disability and an increased rating for lumbar spondylosis and lumbar muscle spasm has been dismissed.,The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating for GERD has been denied.

The Board has remanded the case for another VA examination to assess the current severity of the Veteran's service-connected back disability due to inadequate previous examinations and failure to address flare-ups.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining missing VA treatment records and conducting examinations to assess current disability severity.

The Veteran's PTSD and tinnitus have been granted service connection. The cervical spine and lumbar spine disabilities have not been granted service connection.

The Veteran's PTSD symptoms have more closely approximated the 100 percent criteria for total occupational and social impairment throughout the appeal period, resulting in a grant of a 100% evaluation.,Service connection for migraines and back disorder is remanded due to insufficient medical opinions addressing secondary service connection.

The Veteran's service-connected degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine and bilateral radiculopathy have been granted effective May 2, 2005.,Effective November 1, 2006, the Veteran is entitled to a TDIU due to his service-connected disabilities.

The appeal for service connection for anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder, and psychosis for the purpose of establishing eligibility to treatment under 38 U.S.C. § 1702 was dismissed as they were rendered moot by the grant of service connection for persistent depressive disorder with anxious distress in a September 2023 rating decision. The appeal for sleep apnea, right lower extremity radiculopathy (sciatic and femoral), and left lower extremity radiculopathy (sciatic and femoral) was granted with effective dates starting from January 6, 2021.