Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2024

The Veteran's claims for hypertension, bilateral hearing loss, kidney disability, and several other disabilities are denied. The Board has remanded the remaining service connection claims.

The Board has granted service connection for right and left shoulder disabilities, a right knee disability, a cervical spine disability, and a lumbar spine disability. Service connection is denied for a left knee disability.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD and musculoskeletal conditions, prevent him from engaging in substantially gainful employment. The Board has determined that the criteria for a TDIU are met.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for his service-connected neck disability and cervical radiculopathy of the bilateral upper extremities have been denied. The evidence does not support a finding that he is entitled to a rating in excess of 20 percent for any condition.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for various knee, hip, and ankle conditions as secondary to a service-connected left great toe fracture with degenerative arthritis. Additional medical opinions are needed to determine if these conditions were aggravated by the service-connected condition.

The Board has granted service connection for a low back disability and an earlier effective date of October 9, 2019 for a 100 percent rating award for service-connected bilateral hearing loss. The vision disability claim is remanded.

The Board has found that the Veteran does not have a diagnosed hearing loss disability for VA purposes, and therefore denied his claim for service connection. The claims for left ankle condition, right ankle condition, and lower back condition are remanded due to insufficient evidence of in-service injury or disease.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions, including traumatic arthritis and thoracolumbar spine status post fusion, have resulted in the effective loss of use of both feet. The Board has granted eligibility for financial assistance to purchase an automobile or other conveyance and adaptive equipment due to these conditions. Additionally, the Veteran is also receiving SMC at the housebound rate based on his 100% disability rating from traumatic arthritis, thoracolumbar spine status post fusion.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine is denied prior to June 16, 2022. A separate TDIU claim on an extraschedular basis is also denied prior to that date.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to inadequate VA examinations and failure to address secondary service connection.

The appeal of the right wrist disorder claim is dismissed. The claims for cervical and/or lumbar spine disorder, diabetes mellitus Type II (DM II), respiratory/pulmonary disorder other than asthma and allergic rhinitis, cholecystectomy disease, and body joint pain are all granted.

The Board has found that the Veteran's claims of service connection for low back and foot conditions have been remanded due to procedural errors in obtaining necessary medical records and conducting examinations.

The Board has granted service connection for OSA as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected back disability, with obesity serving as an intermediate step in the development of this condition.

The Veteran's right knee medial meniscus tear is rated at 10 percent, and the Board has denied an increased rating. The claims for service connection of a left wrist condition and low back condition are remanded due to inadequate examination findings.

The Board has granted service connection for cervical strain and thoracolumbar strain, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are at least as likely as not related to his military service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection of right lower extremity radiculopathy (sciatic nerve) and femoral nerve was granted effective February 11, 2019.,A subsequent increased rating for the back disability was also granted effective August 6, 2020.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, but the issue of service connection for a lumbar spine disorder is remanded due to conflicting medical opinions.

The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating for low back disorder has been dismissed.,Service connection is granted for sleep apnea and GERD.

The Board has dismissed the appeal as the Veteran's duplicate submission of a VA Form 10182 was improperly placed on the Direct Review docket, and the earlier pending appeal is addressed in a separate decision.

The appeal is dismissed as there is no justiciable case or controversy with respect to the instant appeal pertaining to claims for ratings in excess of 20 percent for lumbosacral strain, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and right lower extremity radiculopathy.