Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2024

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevented him from securing or following substantially gainful employment as of February 7, 2017. Prior to that date, the evidence did not demonstrate sufficient disability to meet TDIU criteria.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a new examination to assess the current severity and impact on functioning of his lumbar degenerative disc disease, radiculopathy into each lower extremity, and bilateral plantar fasciitis. The issues include increased ratings for these conditions.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development to obtain relevant medical records, as there is no indication that these records are pertinent to service connection.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his left knee, right knee, and back disabilities are being remanded due to procedural issues. The claim of service connection for a left shoulder disability is also being remanded as the medical opinions provided were deemed inadequate.

The Board denied service connection for neck, low back, and bilateral leg disabilities as there was no evidence of such conditions during or immediately following the Appellant's period of active duty for training (ACDUTRA). The Board found that any current disabilities were not related to his military service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened and are granted. The issues of service connection for cervical spine disorder, headache disorder, left shoulder condition, and right shoulder condition are remanded.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient medical opinions and incomplete evidence. The claims will be further developed to obtain additional information about the Veteran's in-service stressors, as well as treatment records and private medical opinions.

An initial rating of 50 percent for PTSD is granted.,The claim of service connection for a lumbar spine disorder is readjudicated and granted, with the diagnosis being degenerative disc disease.,Service connection for a lumbar spine disorder (degenerative disc disease) is granted.

Your appeal has been dismissed because the Veteran died during the pendency of your claim. The Board does not have jurisdiction to decide the merits of this case.

The Board has remanded the claims of entitlement to an initial rating greater than 20 percent for a back disability and to service connection for radiculopathy and/or neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities due to pre-decisional duty-to-assist error.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a cervical spine/neck disability and a back disability have been denied as there is no evidence of current disabilities during the appeal period.

The Veteran's back disability and sciatic nerve disability are granted with increased ratings of 40 percent and 20 percent, respectively, effective November 7, 2019.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, other than PTSD with major depressive disorder is dismissed. The Board also remanded the issues of service connection for bilateral hip disability, bilateral knee disability, bilateral shoulder disability, left ankle disability, left hand disability, right elbow disability, and neck/upper back disability.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for a back disability, right and left knee disabilities, and right and left foot disabilities due to insufficient evidence of record.

The Board found that the Veteran's VA Form 9 was timely filed due to good cause for non-receipt of the January 2020 Statement of the Case, and thus accepted it as timely. The appeal is granted in part.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a left elbow disability, loss of use of the left hand, and right lower extremity sciatica has been remanded for further development.,Service connection for left lower extremity sciatica is dismissed as it was granted in an earlier decision.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities require him to be in need of regular aid and attendance, as he is unable to perform daily activities without assistance due to his multiple conditions.

The Veteran's appeal for increased disability ratings and earlier effective dates for his degenerative disc disease thoracolumbar spine condition was dismissed because the December 2020 Notice of Disagreement should not have been accepted by the Board.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for lumbosacral strain was granted, with a rating of 40 percent. The claims for increased ratings for right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome and instability were denied.

The Board has determined that there are errors in the decision and remands the case for further development, including obtaining SSA records, verifying service type, and scheduling a VA examination to determine if the Veteran's thoracolumbar spine disorder is related to military service.