Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2024

The Board has granted service connection for a low back disability and remanded the cases regarding earlier effective dates for OSA, asthma, and higher initial ratings for cervical radiculopathy with carpal tunnel syndrome.

The Board has decided to remand the claims of service connection for low back disability and right hand disability due to duty-to-assist errors. The Veteran's claims will be reconsidered with new medical opinions addressing whether his disabilities are related to service, including specific in-service complaints.

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and remanded the claims for back, left knee, and right knee disorders due to insufficient evidence.

The Veteran is granted a TDIU due to PTSD alone, effective June 28, 2020.,SMC at the housebound rate was granted as of July 28, 2020, based on his service-connected disabilities combined independently rating at 60 percent or more.,Prior to July 28, 2020, SMC was not warranted due to insufficiently rated service-connected disabilities.

The Board denied service connection for thoracolumbar spine condition, right lower extremity radiculopathy, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and left ankle condition.,Service connection was not granted as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions began during active service or were related to an in-service injury or disease.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to obtain or maintain substantially gainful employment prior to April 10, 2018. The Board has determined that an effective date earlier than April 10, 2018 is not warranted for the grant of a TDIU on a schedular basis and has remanded the case for referral to VA's Director of Compensation Service for extraschedular consideration.

The Board has dismissed the appeal due to the Veteran's death, and no service connection is granted for any of the claimed conditions.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty to assist error and the need for additional evidence. The Veteran's upper back condition and cervical spine condition are being reviewed again, with an emphasis on obtaining private treatment records and conducting a VA examination.

The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection for various conditions, including headaches, hemorrhoids, cervical spine degenerative disc and joint disease, left hand condition, and right hand condition, as secondary to his service-connected lumbar spine disability.

The Board has withdrawn the Veteran's appeals for service connection for allergies, bronchitis, cervical spine disability, lower back disability, left ankle disability, and sleep apnea. The appeal is also remanded for further examination regarding SMC based on aid and attendance.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's lumbar spine disability and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, finding that these conditions are related to his in-service injuries.

The Board has granted an earlier effective date of December 1, 2017 for the Veteran's service-connected degenerative arthritis of the lumbosacral spine and radiculopathy, right lower extremity.

The Veteran's GERD and sleep apnea have been granted service connection. The lumbar spine condition is remanded for further examination to determine if it is caused or aggravated by the service-connected right ankle condition.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to errors in fulfilling the duty to assist and a need for an adequate medical opinion. The Veteran's STRs and SPRs are required, as well as a new VA examination.

The Veteran's TDIU and SMC at the housebound rate are granted due to his service-connected PTSD, which is rated as 70 percent disabling since June 16, 2016. The additional disabilities do not meet the criteria for a single disability rated at 100%.

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. Service connection is remanded for chronic fatigue syndrome, gastroesophageal reflux disease, and migraine headaches, as well as multiple painful joints in the back, hands, ankles, and feet.

The Board has denied service connection for blood in stool and remanded the issue of service connection for an upper back condition due to lack of evidence of a current disability.

The Veteran's appeal is denied as his service-connected conditions do not meet the criteria for higher initial disability ratings.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to missing service treatment records and unclear active duty periods. The Veteran's foot, low iron count, back condition, right hip condition, and left hip condition are all under review.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for sinusitis is denied as there is no current diagnosis of sinusitis and the symptoms are attributed to rhinitis.,The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for MS with dysphasia and constipation is denied as her symptoms do not warrant a higher combined rating.