Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2023

Effective July 23, 2009, a 40 percent rating for the Veteran's low back disability is granted.,Effective May 20, 2009, a 20 percent rating for right lower extremity radiculopathy and left lower extremity radiculopathy are granted.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional examinations and opinions to determine the appropriate ratings for his bilateral plantar fasciitis, DDD of the lumbar spine, hip disabilities, and cervical degenerative joint disease. The effective date claim for service connection remains denied.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's back, neck, and right lower extremity disabilities. The rating assigned is 60 percent effective from January 1, 2015.

The Veteran's low back disorder is granted service connection, with a grant of a compensable rating for hearing loss denied.,Service connection for joint pain (other than right toe/foot joint) is remanded.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for migraine headaches, lower back disability, erectile dysfunction, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and carpal tunnel syndrome of the bilateral upper extremities have been reopened. The claims are granted.,Service connection is established for migraine headaches as secondary to a service-connected adjustment disorder with mixed and depressed mood; for a lower back disability due to active duty service; for erectile dysfunction as secondary to a service-connected adjustment disorder with mixed and depressed mood; and for carpal tunnel syndrome of the bilateral upper extremities due to active duty service.

The Veteran's back brace, bilateral knee braces caused wear and tear to his clothing in 2014. The Board granted annual clothing allowances for the use of a right knee brace, left knee brace, and back brace.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for lumbar spine, right hip, and left hip disorders due to inadequate examination opinions and lack of VA etiology opinions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for left foot disability, hypertension secondary to lumbar spine and radiculopathy left lower extremity, and increased ratings for urinary urge incontinence, degenerative arthritis with herniated disc and degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, and radiculopathy, left lower extremity. The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is currently rated at 20 percent.

The Veteran's initial increased rating for degenerative arthritis of the spine (claimed as back condition) is denied, with his case being remanded on other issues.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a lower back condition, bilateral pes planus, and obstructive sleep apnea have been granted. The claim of entitlement to an increased rating for PTSD has been withdrawn.

The Board has remanded the claims for fibromyalgia, lumbar spine disability, and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) due to additional development being necessary. The TDIU claim is also remanded as it is inextricably intertwined with these issues.

The Veteran's back disability is rated at 10 percent, but the Board found that a higher rating was not warranted based on the evidence of record.,The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims, including head trauma, bilateral hip strains, back disability, right thigh disability, and left thigh disability. The reasons for remand include new evidence submitted after the issuance of a statement of the case (SOC), failure to issue a supplemental statement of the case (SSOC) with additional evidence, and need for VA examinations.

The Veteran's claims for right upper extremity and left upper extremity diabetic peripheral neuropathy have been denied.,The Veteran's diabetes mellitus has been granted a 20% rating effective October 28, 2019. The ratings for the left and right lower extremities diabetic neuropathies affecting the sciatic nerve are also granted with the same effective date.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate medical opinions and requires a new VA examination to determine if the Veteran's back condition is related to his service.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for a low back disability, finding that new evidence received after the October 2019 rating decision supports this claim. The Veteran's in-service exposure to whole body vibrations from helicopter engines is considered relevant to his current diagnosis of degenerative disc disease.

The Veteran's IHD, diabetes, and hypertension are granted on a presumptive basis due to herbicide agent exposure. The low back disorder, bladder disorder, and thyroid disorder claims are remanded for further examination.

The Board has granted service connection for DDD of the lumbar spine, sinusitis, allergic rhinitis, and GERD. The Veteran was awarded ratings of 20%, 50%, 30%, and 30% respectively.

Effective April 1, 2015, the Veteran is granted service connection for his back disability and left hip osteoarthritis conditions. The effective date was set based on a claim filed in March 2015 for these conditions as secondary to his service-connected left knee disability.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty-to-assist error, and will need to obtain a new VA examination to determine if the Veteran's LLE nerve pain is related to his service-connected lumbar spine strain.