Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2023

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is rated at 20 percent prior to October 24, 2019. The Board granted an initial rating of 20 percent for the left and right lower extremity radiculopathy associated with the lumbar spine disability.

The Veteran's service connection claim for a gastrointestinal disability (other than gastroesophageal reflux disease) is denied. The claims for increased ratings of lumbar spine, right knee chondromalacia with quadriceps and popliteal tendinopathy and osteoarthritis, left knee chondromalacia with quadriceps and popliteal tendinopathy and osteoarthritis, and right knee meniscal tear are all denied. The Veteran's service-connected residual scars, bilateral gynecomastia, status post liposuction and bilateral subcutaneous mastectomy, and residual scars of the anterior trunk and chest do not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence and need for additional medical opinions regarding his lumbar spine, cervical spine, and left knee disabilities. The issues include determining if these conditions are related to service or secondary to other service-connected conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has remanded the issue of service connection for a thoracolumbar spine disability due to new evidence and an updated opinion.

The Veteran's chest scar as a residual of a stab wound, right ear hearing loss disability, back disability, bilateral hip replacements, and supraventricular arrhythmia, AICD, and valvular heart disease with mitral and tricuspid regurgitation are all granted. The claims for service connection have been remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Veteran's right femur fracture and degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine are being remanded for further evaluation. The left knee chondromalacia claim is also pending.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the relationship between the Veteran's thoracolumbar spine disability and his military service. The examiner must address a December 1975 treatment note stating that an orthopedist opined that the fracture at T3 was an old fracture and of no significance.

The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's back disability, finding that it is less likely than not caused by his active military service.

The Veteran's nephrolithiasis and thoracic spine degenerative disc disease and intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS) have been rated at the maximum allowed under their respective diagnostic codes.,The Veteran's IVDS does not meet the criteria for a higher rating as there is no evidence of incapacitating episodes or flexion limited to 30 degrees or less.

The Board has remanded the claim for a rating in excess of 20 percent for degenerative joint disease (DJD) of the lumbar spine disability from February 25, 2016 due to inadequate examination findings and the need for further assessment.

The Board denied service connection for thoracolumbar spine degenerative disc disease, tinnitus, and bilateral lower extremity sciatica (now claimed as peripheral neuropathy). The most probative evidence did not show a link between these conditions and the Veteran's service.,The Board also found that there was no continuity of symptomatology related to arthritis of the low back since service.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim to reopen service connection for a low back disability and has also found that Bertolotti's syndrome is service-connected due to aggravation of a pre-existing condition. The decision does not specify a rating or effective date.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for an effective date earlier than September 5, 2014 for the grant of service connection for actinic keratosis and for initial compensable rating for actinic keratosis are denied. The remaining issues have been remanded for further development.

The Board has remanded the case due to scheduling issues for VA examinations and obtaining updated medical records. The claims for service connection remain on hold until these matters are resolved.

The Board has denied service connection for a bilateral shoulder condition and has remanded the issue of service connection for a lumbar spine condition.

The Veteran's service-connected cervical and thoracolumbar spine disabilities, along with associated radiculopathy, are found to be of sufficient severity to produce unemployability since January 6, 2016.

The petition to reopen the claim for service connection for bilateral pes planus was denied.,Service connection for a back condition is remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Veteran's left shoulder tendonitis and lumbar spine degenerative disc disease have been granted initial disability ratings of 20 percent each, effective from the dates specified.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's lumbar spine disorder, finding that it was incurred or aggravated during his second period of active service and not preexisting.