Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2023

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus but has remanded the claims for low back disability and right wrist disability due to insufficient evidence.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for hypertension and lumbosacral strain due to the need for new VA examinations to assess the current severity of his conditions.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for various hip, knee, leg, spine, ankle, and foot disabilities due to inadequate opinions regarding their relationship to periods of active duty training (ACDUTRA) and inactive duty training (INACDUTRA).

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings due to inadequate examination reports and potential worsening of symptoms. The Veteran is seeking higher ratings for his service-connected neck disability and left lower extremity radiculopathy.

The Veteran's lumbar disability is granted a rating of 40 percent, but no higher, from August 2, 2012.,Separate ratings of 10 percent for LLE radiculopathy are granted from August 2, 2012, to September 24, 2015, and from August 2, 2012, to November 29, 2017.,Separate ratings of 10 percent for RLE radiculopathy are granted from August 2, 2012, to November 30, 2017.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher disability evaluation for service-connected left ankle scars has been denied as the scars do not meet the criteria for a compensable rating under DCs 7801 and 7802.,The effective date for the award of a 20 percent disability evaluation for service-connected lumbosacral strain is set at June 26, 2018, as it was more than one year after the Veteran filed his claim.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, but has remanded the issue of service connection for scoliosis of the lumbar spine and spinal stenosis (including sciatica).

The Veteran's hypertension, bilateral hand arthritis, and degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine with spinal canal stenosis have been granted service connection.,An increased disability rating for residuals of prostate cancer and bladder cancer has been denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current low back disability is not related to his service, and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for service connection for diabetes and low back disorder due to potential TERA exposure. The claims will be reviewed again with consideration of the PACT Act.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection of a low back disorder and granted it, finding that there is at least equipoise evidence in favor of the Veteran's claim. The Board considered the Veteran's credible statements about his in-service injury and post-service symptoms, as well as supportive medical opinions.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a lumbar spine disability was granted. The appeal regarding the right hip disability is still pending and will be remanded. The reduction of ratings for instability of both knees has been found to be improper.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and initial ratings for lumbosacral strain and left knee strain with chondrocalcinosis and degenerative arthritis, finding that there was no credible evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Veteran's cervical spine disability and jungle rot of the groin area are not service-connected. The Veteran was granted initial ratings for PTSD, diabetes mellitus type II with bilateral diabetic retinopathy and pseudophakia, and back disability from July 12, 2018 to November 29, 2021. Other disabilities were denied or had their ratings maintained.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar and cervical spine disabilities, as well as the TDIU claim, are being remanded due to inadequate VA examinations. The Veteran needs new VA examinations to assess the severity of his spine disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings and service connection has been remanded due to the complexity of the issues.,No new or material evidence was presented, so no changes in rating were granted.

The Board denied service connection for injuries sustained in a July 1987 motor vehicle accident, as well as claims for residuals of a concussion/closed-head injury, migraine headaches, and low back condition. The decision found that the Veteran's injuries were not incurred in the line of duty due to his own willful misconduct.

The Board has remanded the cases due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's thoracolumbar spine and left foot disabilities, specifically concerning continuity of symptoms since service.

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain updated medical records and to schedule the Veteran for an examination to assess the severity of his service-connected back disability, including any associated neurological abnormalities.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for a lumbar spine disability due to new and material evidence, but denied the claim on the merits as there is no credible evidence of an in-service injury or disease related to the current condition.