Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2024

The Board denied the Veteran's motion to revise a January 9, 2004 rating decision that reduced his disability rating for degenerative disc and joint disease of the lumbosacral spine from 40% to 20%. The reduction was based on improvement in the Veteran's condition as evidenced by a VA examination report.

The Board dismissed the appeal for service connection of a back disability due to it being moot. The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Major Depressive Disorder was granted with a 50% rating.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for her service-connected back disability and left sciatica due to inadequate examination findings in the November 2021 VA examinations. The Veteran will need a new VA examination to determine the current severity of her disabilities.

The Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine disability and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathies have been granted initial ratings of 60 percent and 20 percent, respectively, effective June 30, 2016.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for PTSD, TBI, tension headaches, a lumbar spine compression fracture, a right elbow fracture, scars of the right forearm, neuropathy of the right upper extremity, a right wrist fracture, and tinnitus previously found to be service connected for treatment purposes only is dismissed. Service connection for a right knee disability is granted.

The Veteran's appeals for higher initial ratings for knee, left and right chondromalacia with degenerative arthritis, cervical paraspinal tendonitis with degenerative disc disease other than IVDS, and lumbar paraspinal tendonitis with degenerative disc disease other than IVDS were denied. The evidence did not show that the Veteran's conditions warranted a higher rating under applicable diagnostic codes.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss and remanded claims for service connection for left knee, right knee, and back disabilities.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation from May 23, 2014, to December 9, 2020.

The Board has remanded the case to the VA's Director of Compensation Service for extraschedular consideration of the Veteran's TDIU claim due to service-connected disabilities prior to October 16, 2015.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for a lumbar disorder and bilateral eye disorder due to new and material evidence. The claims are now remanded for further development.,PTSD rating remains pending as no current rating is assigned.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for a VA examination and medical opinion regarding his lumbar spine disability.

The Board denied service connection for a lumbar spine disability, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus as the evidence did not support a link to the Veteran's service or any service-connected condition.

The Board remands the issue of entitlement to service connection for a low back condition due to an error in the March 2023 VA opinion.

The Veteran's lumbar strain and lower extremity radiculopathy have been granted evaluations, with a TDIU also being granted.

The Board dismissed the appeal of the proposed rating reduction from 40 percent to 10 percent for a lumbosacral strain.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty-to-assist error, and will need to obtain an updated medical opinion regarding the Veteran's lumbar spine disorder.

The Veteran's appeal regarding an earlier effective date for a 40 percent rating for lumbar degenerative disc disease with coccyx injury is dismissed because the issue was not properly identified in his Notice of Disagreement.

The Veteran's bilateral pes planus and plantar fasciitis were restored to a 50% rating, effective February 5, 2022. Increased ratings for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy (femoral and sciatic nerves) and left knee limitation of extension were granted. Effective dates of May 25, 2021, were assigned for the increased ratings.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings and service connection have been dismissed due to the withdrawal of his appeal by his authorized representative.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea is granted. The claims of increased disability ratings for left shoulder rotator cuff tendinitis, bursitis, and scapula dyskinesis, temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJD), and degenerative disc disease are remanded.