Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2023

The Board has remanded the claims for lumbar spine disability, left ankle disability, chest pain, and right hand disability due to unresolved issues. The psychiatric disorder claim is denied.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to lack of substantial compliance with previous remand instructions and insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's low back disorder. Another VA examination is needed.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining additional medical records and arranging a VA examination to assess the severity of the Veteran's lumbosacral strain. The TDIU claim is also pending and will be considered in conjunction with the increased rating claim.

The Board denied service connection for low back and neck disorders, finding that the Veteran did not have these conditions during or within one year after his military service. The evidence also did not show a link between the current conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's cervical spine disability is granted, and an initial 20 percent rating for surgical scars post-laminectomy of the lumbar spine is granted. Temporary total disability ratings due to hospitalization for service-connected psychiatric disorder are also granted.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a back disability was granted, and the claims for peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity and left lower extremity were also granted. The claim for service connection for a disability of the left Achilles tendon is pending.

The Veteran's claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for optic nerve damage due to VA treatment/lack of treatment was denied.,Service connection claims for a low back disorder, sleep disorder, gastrointestinal (GI) disorder, head injury, dizziness, and headache with sinus disorder were all denied on the basis that there is no evidence linking these conditions to service.

The claim for service connection for Generalized Anxiety Disorder was dismissed as moot due to a prior rating decision finding clear and unmistakable error.,Service connection for Back Condition and Left Knee Condition were both granted based on new evidence provided by the Veteran.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection for various conditions due to her withdrawal of the appeal prior to a decision being made.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's lumbar spine Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD), finding that his current condition is more likely than not a result of his military duties as a gunner in open back Humvees.

The Board dismissed the AMA appeal regarding left knee instability. The Veteran's right knee condition is currently rated at 10 percent for instability, and a separate rating of 20 percent for instability is granted. The Veteran's lumbar spine disability remains denied.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for lumbar strain, finding that it is secondary to his service-connected pes planus.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for increased ratings of PTSD and scoliosis of the lumbosacral spine, resulting in their dismissal.

The Board has restored service connection for lumbosacral strain with IVDS and right lower extremity radiculopathy, finding that the original grant of service connection was not clearly erroneous.

The Veteran's left knee disability is not service-connected.,The Veteran's lumbar spine disability and PTSD are both service-connected.,The Veteran's acquired psychiatric condition, specifically PTSD, is service-connected.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his lumbar spine disability is denied due to failure to report for a required VA examination. The Board has also remanded the claims for service connection, TDIU, and anxiety (other than PTSD, major depressive and panic disorders).

The Veteran's increased ratings for cervical and lumbar spine disabilities are denied, with separate ratings granted for radiculopathy of the left upper extremity associated with his cervical spine disability.

Your claims for service connection for a low back disability and an acquired psychiatric disability have been granted. The appeal is dismissed as the full benefits sought have already been awarded.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's death was not caused by service-connected disability and is remanding the case for further development, including obtaining medical records and a VA examiner's opinion on whether any condition noted or found to have caused his death had its clinical onset during service.

The Board denied an earlier effective date for the grant of TDIU, finding that the Veteran did not meet the schedular requirements for a TDIU prior to December 11, 2015.