Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Board has remanded the claims for a lower back condition, right leg radiculopathy, and left leg radiculopathy due to service connection errors. The Veteran's private medical records indicate he sought treatment for his lower back pain in 2012.

The Board has determined that more development is necessary prior to final adjudication of the remaining claims, including obtaining new medical examinations and opinions regarding the Veteran's claimed conditions.

The Board has remanded the claims for pes planus, cervical spine condition, low back condition, and sinus disability due to duty-to-assist errors that occurred prior to the March 2021 rating decision on appeal.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's current degenerative disc disease is related to his military service. The claim will be returned for further review.

The Board dismissed the appeal because the September 2020 rating decision did not contain an adverse decision regarding the proposed reductions of the ratings for asthma and lumbosacral strain or a decision on entitlement to an increased rating for hypothyroidism.

The Board dismissed the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of his cervical spine disability because it was a freestanding claim and not based on a CUE in the original decision.

The reduction of the 70% rating for the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder to a 50% rating was improper and is void ab initio. The restoration of the 70% rating is granted.,The reduction of the 20% rating for the Veteran's back disability to a 10% rating from September 1, 2020 to June 11, 2021 was also improper and is void ab initio. The restoration of the 20% rating is granted.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent, effective from the date of the April 2022 decision. A TDIU based on service-connected disabilities is granted.

The Board has decided to remand the claim of service connection for a lumbar spine disability due to insufficient evidence and duty to assist errors.

The Board has denied an increase in the evaluation for a low back disability and has remanded issues related to right hip disabilities, migraine headaches, and earlier effective dates. The Veteran's service-connected conditions have not resulted in compensable loss of range of motion or ankylosis.

The Board dismissed the appeal due to the appellant's withdrawal of his claims for service connection for right knee condition, left knee condition, lower back condition, and gastritis.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been remanded due to incomplete records and need for further examination.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's erectile dysfunction and back condition are not related to service, and thus denied these claims. The case is being remanded for further examination and opinion.

The Board has denied service connection for right ear hearing loss due to the absence of a current disability as defined by VA regulations. The claim for service connection for a back disorder is remanded due to the need for an appropriate VA examination.

The Veteran's claim for TDIU is remanded due to the need for additional development of his medical records, particularly those from Community Care providers and non-VA providers received by the VA but not associated with the claims file.

The Board has determined that new and relevant evidence has been received for the Veteran's right shoulder condition, warranting readjudication of his claim. The claims for back, left shoulder, and right shoulder conditions are being remanded due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors.

The Board has granted service connection for lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis, thoracolumbar degenerative disc disease, left knee strain with joint osteoarthritis, and right knee strain with joint osteoarthritis as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected pes planus and plantar fasciitis.

The Board has granted service connection for left knee degenerative arthritis, right knee meniscal tear, lumbosacral spine degenerative joint and disc disease (lumbar spine disability), and cervical spine degenerative disc disease with degenerative arthritis.

The Board has denied a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and has remanded the Veteran's claims regarding his lumbar spine, cervical spine, left forearm, and left elbow disorders. The Veteran is required to provide any private chiropractic treatment records.

The Board has granted service connection for a lumbar spine disability, finding that the Veteran's back problems began during his active duty training in 1976 and are related to this period of service.