Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2024

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate assistance and need for a new VA opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran's lumbar spine condition and service, including its secondary nature to his bilateral knee disability.

The Board remands the claims for a back disability, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities, a bilateral leg disability and an eye disability to obtain additional medical evidence and opinions.

The Veteran's claims for PTSD, lumbar-spine disorder and obstructive sleep apnea have been reopened. Service connection has been granted for acquired psychiatric disorders including PTSD, depressive disorder, and anxiety disorder, as well as for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, hypertension (due to presumed herbicide exposure), prostate cancer (due to presumed herbicide exposure), and bilateral hearing loss. Service connection was denied for lumbar-spine disorder and obstructive sleep apnea.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective date and increased ratings were denied. The Veteran was granted a 50% rating for major depressive disorder with PTSD as of May 23, 2011, but his claim for an increase in the rating for lumbar spine disability remains pending.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for low back, right ankle, left ankle, right knee, left knee, right hip, and left hip disabilities due to a lack of evidence showing these conditions were incurred or aggravated during his military service.

The Veteran's application to reopen his claim for service connection for a vision disorder was denied as the new evidence did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim.,The Veteran's application to reopen his claim for service connection for tinea cruris was denied as the new evidence did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim.

The Board has restored a 40 percent disability rating for the Veteran's lumbar strain effective January 1, 2019. However, the case is remanded to obtain updated VA and private treatment records and to schedule the Veteran for a VA examination to assess the current severity of his lumbar spine condition.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right ear hearing loss, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and lower back condition. The case is being remanded to obtain additional medical evidence and to schedule a VA examination.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims and granted service connection for a left knee disability and low back disability, both found to be proximately due to his service-connected right knee disability.

The Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine is currently rated at 40 percent, and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted based on the evidence.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for headaches, CFS, and a lumbar spine disability have been reopened. Service connection is granted for headaches.,Service connection for CFS and the lumbar spine disability are remanded due to unresolved issues.

The Veteran's claims for effective dates prior to July 12, 2018, for service connection of right and left lower extremity radiculopathy have been denied.,The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his back disability from July 12, 2018, has also been denied.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate examination and failure to provide a proper service connection opinion for the Veteran's lumbar spine disability, which is claimed as secondary to his service-connected cervical spine disability.

The Veteran's bilateral foot warts and spine disability have been granted service connection. The Veteran is denied an initial compensable rating for allergic rhinitis, as the condition does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating based on nasal obstruction or polyps.,The Veteran's unknown rashes due to exposure in Southwest Asia and right and left knee disabilities are pending further examination and analysis.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's lower back condition, finding that it had its onset in service and is related to his active duty. The claim was reopened due to new and material evidence submitted by the Veteran.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and effective dates have been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a rating in excess of 10 percent for sinusitis or headaches, and denied service connection for back disorder and right epididymitis (now claimed as erectile dysfunction).

The Veteran's right hip disability, acquired psychiatric disability (PTSD/Major Depressive Disorder), lumbar spine disability and left knee disability are all granted as service-connected due to aggravation during active duty.,The Veteran's left knee disability is remanded for further development.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for TDIU, finding that he did not meet the schedular requirements for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability prior to January 26, 2022.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings are being remanded due to the RO's failure to issue a rating decision. The Board will now take jurisdiction over these matters and order the RO to issue a new rating decision.

The Veteran's tinnitus was granted service connection. The remaining claims for psychiatric, back, sciatica, headaches, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, respiratory disability, and hypertension are remanded.