Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2023

The Veteran's arthritis of the right knee is granted as service-connected.,Right leg shin splints and left leg shin splints are denied as not service-connected.

The Board has determined that the VA examinations for the Veteran's claimed knee and foot disorders were not conducted due to an incorrect mailing address. The claims are being remanded to obtain these necessary examinations.

The Board has remanded the case due to lack of substantial compliance with its previous directives, specifically regarding retrospective medical opinions for the Veteran's lumbar spine DDD.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional medical opinions regarding his sleep apnea, left foot disability, and back disability. The claims for service connection are related to secondary theories of entitlement.

The Board has remanded several service connection issues due to insufficient evidence or need for further development.

The Board denied service connection for degenerative arthritis of the lumbosacral spine and left carpal tunnel syndrome, finding that the Veteran's conditions were not related to his military service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened, but the Board has not yet determined whether these conditions are related to his military service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine and right leg length shortening due to his failure to report for necessary VA examinations.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for cervical spine, lumbar spine, right hand, and left hand disabilities due to incomplete adjudication.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for back and left hip disabilities due to insufficient medical opinions addressing whether PTSD caused obesity, which is a factor in causing the claimed disabilities.

The Veteran is granted a TDIU and DEA benefits effective March 7, 2012. The Board finds the earlier effective dates for these benefits are not warranted due to lack of evidence showing he was unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment prior to that date.

The Veteran's representative withdrew all issues on appeal in a July 2022 written statement, leading to the dismissal of the appeal.

The Veteran's bilateral knee and hip disabilities, as well as his psychiatric disorder, are being remanded for further examination to determine if they are secondary to his service-connected back disability. The TDIU claim is also remanded.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's lumbar spine disability and RLE radiculopathy require further examination to determine their current severity, as well as a review of his medical records for any relevant treatment. The TDIU claim is also remanded due to its inextricability with the rating claims.

The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including schizoaffective disorder, and a lumbar spine condition. The Veteran's claims were based on direct evidence of in-service injury or disease without any presumption.

The Veteran's back disability is rated at 20 percent, and the Board has remanded to determine if a higher rating is warranted due to functional loss during flare-ups.

The Board has remanded the claims of entitlement to a compensable disability rating for lumbar spine surgical scars and right foot surgical scar due to additional evidence being added after the February 2020 Statement of the Case.

The Veteran's PTSD is granted as service-connected. The right knee and low back disabilities are remanded for further examination and determination of their etiology.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete development of medical records related to the Veteran's lumbar spine disability. The Veteran is asked to provide signed releases for any private treatment records from Dr. S.G. and other practitioners.

The Veteran's intervertebral disc syndrome and lumbosacral strain were granted service connection. The issues of left lower extremity radiculopathy and right lower extremity radiculopathy are remanded for further examination.