Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2023

The Board has determined that the Veteran's low back disability is at least as likely as not related to service, granting his claim for service connection.

The Board has remanded several claims for increased ratings, including those for low back disability, right and left lower extremity radiculopathy, left elbow disability, GERD, allergic rhinitis, and TDIU. The Veteran is also required to provide authorization for VA to obtain private treatment records from a facility in Panama Beach, Florida.

The Board has granted service connection for a low back condition and left lower extremity radiculopathy, but denied service connection for the Veteran's left foot condition.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for a lumbar spine disability, left leg numbness (claimed as left leg disability), and anxiety due to incomplete development of records and need for additional examinations.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for various conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, weight gain, sleep apnea, and psychiatric disabilities. The issues have been returned to the agency of original jurisdiction (AOJ) for further development.

The Board has remanded the issue of whether the Veteran is entitled to a TDIU rating prior to April 18, 2018, based on his August 19, 2014 claim for increased ratings.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for depression and TDIU due to unresolved issues regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's depression, specifically whether it is aggravated by his service-connected disabilities.

The Board denied service connection for a thoracolumbar spine disability and psychiatric disorder, finding that the evidence did not support an in-service onset or relationship to service.

The Veteran's appeals for a compensable rating for the right great toe scar and a 10 percent rating based on multiple, noncompensable service-connected disabilities under 38 C.F.R. � 3.324 were dismissed.,The Veteran's appeals for higher staged initial ratings for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine status post lumbar discectomy and entitlement to a TDIU were remanded.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection of low back, left knee, and right knee disabilities due to insufficient examination opinions. The Veteran's hypertension claim is denied as his blood pressure does not meet criteria for a rating in excess of 10 percent.

The Veteran's service-connected cervical spine disability is granted a 20 percent rating, effective December 15, 2021.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and initial ratings were denied. The Board found that the Veteran's low back disability did not meet criteria for an increased rating higher than 40 percent, while his right and left lower extremity radiculopathy conditions were rated appropriately.

The Board has granted a 60 percent rating for total left knee replacement, effective from December 9, 2019 to February 29, 2020. The claims of service connection for left shoulder disability and right shoulder disability have been reopened, but the claim for low back compression fracture at T11, T12, and L1 is granted as secondary to service-connected left knee disability.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for low back, right knee, and left knee disabilities due to inadequate compliance with previous remand directives. The Veteran is seeking service connection based on in-service physical activities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's disability rating for lumbosacral scar, status post prostatectomy scar, and status post angioplasty scar was properly reduced from 20% to a noncompensable rating effective November 1, 2018. The evidence did not show actual sustained improvement in the Veteran's ability to function under ordinary conditions of life.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's low back disability is related to his service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tuberculosis, low back disability, and right ankle disability due to lack of evidence showing onset or relationship to service.

The Board has decided to remand the cases of bilateral hearing loss and back disability for further examination and development.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities due to inadequate opinions in the February 2017 VA examination reports. The claims will be reviewed again with new examinations and opinions.

The Veteran's right leg disability is denied as there is no evidence of a current condition related to service.,The Veteran's left hip and right hip disabilities are denied due to lack of in-service onset or relationship to service.