Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2023

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's back condition is related to service, particularly his National Guard service, and whether it is aggravated by his service-connected knee disabilities.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional examination and evaluation of the Veteran's lumbar strain, degenerative disc disease with levoscoliosis.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional examinations to determine the current nature and severity of his service-connected lumbar spine and left knee disabilities, as well as their functional impairment. The new examinations must consider the ameliorative effects of medication used to treat these conditions.

The Board denied service connection for a low back disability, but granted service connection for a left shoulder disability (including fibrosarcoma) and a right shoulder disability. The Veteran's headache disability claim was not addressed as it is considered part of the same appeal.,There is no clear evidence that any of these disabilities are related to military service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for various conditions, including lymphoma at multiple sites, liver disability, bilateral hip disability, hepatitis B, acid reflux, and diabetes mellitus. The appeal is not granted as new and material evidence was not received to reopen the claim of service connection for a lumbosacral spine disability.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including an acquired psychiatric disorder, a back disorder, a left shoulder disorder, a breathing disorder, and bilateral knee disorders. The evidence did not support finding that these conditions began during or were otherwise related to active service.

The Board has dismissed the appeal for several service connection and increased rating claims due to a withdrawal by the appellant's authorized representative.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient development, specifically regarding the etiology of the Veteran's lumbar spine disability and its continuity since service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of a back disability, finding that there is no evidence showing it was incurred or aggravated by his military service.

The Veteran's appeal for an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is dismissed. The Board has also remanded the issues of service connection for a low back disability and bilateral hip disabilities.

The Board has granted service connection for lumbar strain, finding that the Veteran's back condition is etiologically related to her time in active service.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete information regarding his military service and need for a more comprehensive opinion on his low back disability. The issues of service connection for multiple joint pain, including as due to an undiagnosed illness, and for low back pain are also being remanded.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected. The issues of service connection for degenerative arthritis and spinal stenosis, lumbosacral spine, with left lower extremity radiculopathy and a right ankle injury are remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to concerns about the Veteran's scoliosis and its relation to his back disability. The matter will be further examined to determine if it constitutes a congenital defect or disease, and whether any aggravation occurred during service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not prevent him from securing and following substantially gainful employment prior to February 6, 2018.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the Veteran's low back and left knee disabilities.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's back disorder. The case will be returned for further development.

The Veteran's initial ratings for back disability and right sciatica have been granted at a 20 percent level.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service-connected. The cases for bilateral hearing loss, acquired psychiatric condition (including PTSD), and lumbar strain are remanded due to insufficient medical opinions.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for lumbar spine DDD and DJD, left lower extremity L5 radiculopathy, right knee disorder, and left knee disorder were denied. The appeal of the temporary total rating based on surgical convalescence following left hip replacement surgery was dismissed as moot.