Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2024

The Veteran's cervicogenic headaches are granted service connection. The claims for cervical strain and lumbosacral strain are remanded due to new evidence not previously considered. The claims for dizziness and fatigue require additional VA examinations.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for her service-connected degenerative arthritis of the spine/lumbosacral strain was denied as a matter of law due to her failure to report for a necessary VA examination.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for left knee and lower back conditions due to a lack of VA examinations addressing their etiology.

The Veteran's service connection claim for Coats' disease of the left eye is granted due to aggravation during service. Service connection for joint pain (other than a lumbar spine condition) and lumbar spine condition are remanded as additional evidence may be needed.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability and right lower extremity radiculopathy are granted service connection, but her cervical spine disability and left lower extremity radiculopathy are denied.

The Board has granted service connection for lumbar Schmorl's nodes and pancreatitis as secondary to service-connected major depressive disorder, unspecified anxiety disorder, and alcohol use disorder. The Veteran is also entitled to a rating of 20 percent for his service-connected lumbar Schmorl's nodes from May 26, 2022.,The Board has granted an earlier effective date of February 23, 2022, for the award of service connection for lumbar Schmorl's nodes.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a low back condition, finding that there was no evidence linking his current disability to his time in active service.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to his death, and the claims for service connection are not considered valid as a result.

The Board has denied service connection for migraine disability and remanded the issues of bilateral hearing loss, back injury, left hip disability, and right hip disability due to lack of evidence supporting a nexus between these conditions and service.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability, including degenerative arthritis and intervertebral disc syndrome, has been granted a 40 percent rating since November 19, 2018.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, in combination, render him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation consistent with his education and work history.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to obtain and maintain substantially gainful employment consistent with his educational and vocational background.

The Board has granted service connection for lumbar spine degenerative disc disease, finding that the evidence is at least evenly balanced as to whether the Veteran's back disability had its onset in service.

The Veteran's low back disability was restored to a 20 percent rating effective February 24, 2022. The other issues were denied.

The Veteran's proposed reduction from a 20% to a 10% rating for his lumbar spine disorder was dismissed as the Veteran did not file a notice of disagreement with the April 2023 rating decision that implemented this reduction.

The Veteran's depression is due to her service-connected left shoulder bursitis/tendinitis, chronic left hip inflammation, and degenerative disc disease. The appeal for service connection for depression as secondary to these conditions has been granted.

The Veteran's PTSD, low back disability, and tinnitus have been granted service connection based on the evidence of record.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss has been denied.,The issues of entitlement to service connection for various conditions have been remanded.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, TBI, migraines, and degenerative arthritis of the spine, prevented him from securing or following substantially gainful employment from September 11, 2014 to January 15, 2017.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for higher evaluations for DDD of the lumbar spine, RLE and LLE radiculopathy. The case requires additional development to address functional loss due to pain and medication effects.