Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2023

Service connection is granted for diabetes, diabetic peripheral neuropathy of all four extremities, and erectile dysfunction.,Service connection is denied for a chronic lumbar spine disorder.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for left knee disability, lumbar spine disability, bilateral shoulder disability, and skin disability due to inadequate opinions regarding service connection.

The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his service-connected conditions did not contribute to his death from cardiorespiratory failure due to coronary artery disease.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and consideration, including obtaining a medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's back condition and reviewing additional VA treatment records.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability was rated at 20% prior to September 29, 2022. Since then, the rating has been increased to 40%. The Board denied a higher rating.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings were dismissed. The Board found that the evidence was in equipoise as to whether the Veteran had right knee instability, warranting a separate 10% disability rating. Other issues are remanded.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection due to incorrect characterization of issues, changes in contact information, and scheduling errors. The Veteran is seeking service connection for an allergy to penicillin and increased ratings for various disabilities.

The Veteran's claim for a rating greater than 30 percent for posttraumatic stress disorder has been withdrawn.,Service connection for low back and knee conditions have been remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and examination due to incomplete service treatment records and inadequate previous VA examination.

The Veteran's thoracic back disability and acquired psychiatric disability are denied as there is no credible evidence linking these conditions to service.,There was no in-service stressor for PTSD, and the Veteran failed to provide credible supporting evidence of a non-combat related stressor.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development and consideration of his service connection claims, including a new VA examination to determine the etiology of his left knee disorder and psychiatric disability. The rating for his back disability is also remanded due to inadequate examinations.

The Veteran's service-connected thoracolumbar degenerative arthritis, IVDS, and lumbar spondylosis status post surgery is rated at 10 percent prior to April 26, 2019. The evidence does not meet the criteria for a higher rating under the General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's low back disability did not originate during service and is not otherwise related to his period of active duty. The claim for service connection was denied.

The appeals are dismissed as the Veteran has died, and no service connection is granted for renal cell carcinoma or a low back disability.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU were denied. The right knee was rated at 10% prior to December 12, 2019, and at 20% from that date onwards. For the lumbar spine, a 40% rating was granted effective January 15, 2014, with TDIU also being granted.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral foot, shoulder, lumbar spine, sleep, tinnitus, and headache disabilities have been denied.,There is no evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's military service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for further evaluation due to unclear functional loss and incomplete examination reports.

The Board has dismissed all claims of entitlement to increased ratings for various conditions as the Veteran's authorized representative withdrew the appeal in its entirety.

The Board has remanded the claims for posttraumatic stress disorder, right ear hearing loss, left ear hearing loss, tinnitus, allergic rhinitis, bilateral foot condition, erectile dysfunction, hypertension, right knee pain, left knee pain, degenerative disc disease, left lower extremity radiculopathy, right lower extremity radiculopathy, sleep apnea, and benign prostatic hypertrophy due to incomplete service treatment records.

The Veteran's service-connected low back disability renders him unable to engage and maintain substantially gainful employment, resulting in a TDIU.