Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2024

The Veteran's claim of service connection for a low back disorder is reopened and granted. The claims for residuals of TBI, bilateral eye disorder, lumbar spine disorder, bilateral hip disorder, bilateral knee disorder, and bilateral foot disorder are denied. Service connection for bilateral upper and lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, bilateral shoulder disorder, MDD, and hypertension are also denied.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are granted as service connection is established due to in-service noise exposure.,Service connection for the back disability, left hip disability, and right hip disability is granted as these conditions are found to be caused or aggravated by his service-connected bilateral knee disabilities.

The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate VA examination, and a new opinion is needed regarding whether the Veteran's current lumbar spine disabilities are related to his service.

The Board denied service connection for a lumbar spine disability, finding that the evidence did not support an in-service onset or relationship to service.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for a lumbar spine disability and bilateral pes planus due to insufficient rationale in previous opinions, and additional development is needed.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are sufficient to meet the eligibility criteria for nonservice-connected pension benefits, thus denying his claim.

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary before the claims for service connection can be adjudicated on the merits. The Veteran's sleep apnea claim, hypertension claim, erectile dysfunction claim, lower back condition claim, migraine headaches claim, right knee condition claim, and left knee condition claim are all being remanded.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate opinions regarding service connection for a back disability, including whether it is related to active service or service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for his lumbosacral strain and right lower extremity radiculopathy were denied. The effective dates for the grants of service connection for these conditions have been withdrawn.

The Board has granted service connection for left ankle degenerative arthritis, left leg tibia and fibula malunion with degenerative arthritis, lumbar spine spondylosis, left knee degenerative arthritis, right knee degenerative arthritis, cervical spine degenerative arthritis and DDD with neural impingement at the C6-C7 disc, and right shoulder tendonitis and arthritis.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for the residuals of a stroke and entitlement to TDIU due to service-connected disabilities. The case is being returned for further development.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service-connected.,High cholesterol is not considered a disability for VA compensation purposes and thus, the claim for this condition is denied.,The Board has remanded the claims for lumbar spine disability, right shoulder disability, right knee disability, right ankle disability, bilateral hearing loss, right eye disability, and heart disability to obtain medical opinions regarding their etiology.,The Veteran's PTSD remains at a 30 percent rating. The claim for an initial rating higher than 30 percent is remanded as the SOC has not yet been issued.,All other claims are remanded.

Effective June 8, 2007, to January 25, 2017, the Veteran's thoracolumbar scoliosis with degenerative changes was rated at 20 percent.

The Board has remanded the cases due to issues related to lumbar spine intervertebral disc syndrome, left and right lower extremity radiculopathy, and a claim for TDIU prior to January 17, 2019. The case will be referred to the Director, Compensation & Pension Service, for extraschedular consideration of the TDIU claim.

The Veteran's claims for PTSD, lumbosacral strain, and residual scar of pilonidal cyst removal were received by VA on September 22, 2015. The Board denied the requests for effective dates prior to this date.,The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 20 percent for lumbosacral strain was also remanded.

The Veteran's appeal to reopen service connection for a back disability is granted. The appeals for increased ratings of bilateral foot pes planus deformities, diabetes mellitus, gouty arthritis of the bilateral elbows, nephrolithiasis, and TDIU are all remanded.

The Board has determined that the evidence is insufficient to make a fully informed decision on the Veteran's claim and remands for further development, including obtaining retrospective range of motion estimates.

The Veteran is entitled to a TDIU effective December 15, 2016, on a schedular basis due to his service-connected disabilities preventing him from securing or following substantially gainful employment. The extraschedular TDIU claim between April 1, 2016, and December 15, 2016, is remanded for further review.

The Board has granted service connection for a lumbar spine disability and radiculopathy of bilateral lower extremities, finding that the Veteran's disabilities were aggravated by his service-connected right thigh injury. The rating assigned is 20% for the lumbar spine disability.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for an increased rating for his service-connected lumbar spine disability due to insufficient medical opinions and a failure to provide a DRO hearing. The Veteran's TDIU claim is also remanded.