Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2024

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a lumbosacral disability (also claimed as mid back pain) to include as secondary to his service-connected bilateral pes planus is being remanded due to the need for an addendum opinion regarding whether the disability was caused or aggravated by his service-connected bilateral pes planus.

The Veteran's cervical spine disorder is denied as it did not pre-exist his military service and was not aggravated by service.,Service connection for right upper extremity cervical radiculopathy/carpal tunnel syndrome, left upper extremity cervical radiculopathy/carpal tunnel syndrome, and gastrointestinal disorder (GERD) are remanded due to the need for additional medical clarification.

The Veteran's appeal is dismissed as moot because his Supplemental Claim was granted in full, and there are no remaining issues for appellate consideration.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate medical opinions and will provide an addendum opinion to address the Veteran's service connection claim for a lumbar strain disability.

The Veteran's claim to reopen service connection for degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine was received on November 10, 2019. The Board found that an earlier effective date of November 10, 2019, but no earlier, is warranted as it is the earliest effective date available at law under the facts of this case.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for chronic edema of the lower extremities and bilateral lumbar radiculopathy as secondary to service-connected hypertension due to incomplete medical records, conflicting opinions from examiners, and need for additional clarification.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's lumbar spine degenerative arthritis, finding that his current condition is related to a fall in service and establishing continuity of symptoms since discharge.

The Veteran's lumbosacral strain is granted service connection.,An earlier effective date for the right and left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome is denied.,A 10 percent rating for each knee is granted.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his degenerative arthritis with degenerative disc disease, spinal stenosis, and scoliosis as well as right lower extremity radiculopathy of the sciatic nerve were denied. The evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under the applicable VA rating criteria.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of left ankle sprain is granted. The claims for service connection for lumbosacral degenerative joint disease and disc disease, respiratory disorder, and depression due to sexual harassment on active duty are remanded.

The Board has determined that there are errors in the decision and requires additional medical opinions to address inconsistencies in the record regarding the Veteran's claimed conditions, including whether they were present during service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, lumbosacral strain, bilateral tinnitus, left and right lower extremity radiculopathy, prevent her from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate examination reports regarding the Veteran's back condition, specifically concerning flare-ups and functional loss.

The Board denied the Veteran's requests to restore his previous disability ratings for eczema and urticaria, and lumbosacral strain. The decisions were based on a finding of no clear and unmistakable error in the original rating determinations.

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to correct a pre-decisional duty to assist error and to obtain additional examination findings for the Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine disability.

The Veteran's service-connected back disability, ocular condition, and laceration on the right great toe prevented him from securing and maintaining substantially gainful employment from June 5, 2008 to June 9, 2010. TDIU was granted based on this.

The Board has granted service connection for a back disability but has remanded the claim of service connection for sleep apnea due to insufficient evidence.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations for left knee patellofemoral syndrome and thoracolumbar scoliosis with compression fractures were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of entitlement to higher disability ratings for these conditions.

The Veteran's appeal involves the need for a higher rating in excess of 20 percent for various service-connected conditions including cervical and thoracolumbar spine disabilities, as well as bilateral upper and lower extremity radiculopathies. The Board has determined that additional evidence is needed to determine the severity of these conditions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection and increased rating of their psychiatric disability, back disability, right knee disability, and left knee disability due to inadequate examination reports.