Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for a back condition and an earlier effective date of the 10 percent evaluation for a right knee condition have been dismissed due to untimely filing. The appeal for service connection for a skin condition is remanded.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for back, right ankle degenerative arthritis, left ankle sprain, and left shoulder disability due to inadequate medical opinions.

The Board has denied service connection for chronic sinusitis and remanded the claims of service connection for chronic allergies and thoracolumbar back disability due to insufficient evidence.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and an addendum opinion to address whether the Veteran's current low back diagnoses were at least as likely as not incurred in or caused by service.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service-connected.,The Veteran's fibromyalgia remains at a 40% rating, the maximum under Diagnostic Code 5025.,The Veteran's low back disability does not warrant an evaluation in excess of 40 percent.,The Veteran's right thumb disability warrants a compensable rating starting from October 13, 2016.,The Veteran's right little finger disability is granted a 10% rating.,TDIU prior to October 13, 2016, is denied.

The Veteran's right and left knee disabilities, as well as his lumbar spine disability, have been granted service connection. The lumbar spine disability is currently rated at 20 percent effective December 29, 2021.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for left knee disability, right knee disability, and lumbar spine disability are remanded due to a failure to provide a VA examination addressing the theories of direct service connection.

The claims of entitlement to service connection for shoulders, hips, knees, ankles, feet, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, sleep apnea, skin, and anxiety, depression, PTSD are dismissed. The issues of entitlement to service connection for a cervical spine disability and an initial rating in excess of 20 percent for lumbar strain are remanded.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's lumbar spine degenerative disc disease with central and intervertebral nerve root canal stenosis, finding that it is related to an in-service motor vehicle accident.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for headaches, bilateral wrist nerve condition, bilateral hearing loss, neck condition, back condition, right shoulder clavicle disability, and left elbow condition have all been denied. The Board found no current disabilities of the claimed conditions.,There is insufficient evidence to establish a nexus between any current disabilities and military service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, left hand disorder (including thumb), right arm disorder, back disorder, sinus disorder, and Hepatitis C have all been denied. The Board found no evidence of a current disability or in-service event that would support these claims.

The Board has determined that there were pre-decisional duty to assist errors and the claims are remanded for further development.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for lumbar spine disability, right lower extremity radiculopathy, and left lower extremity radiculopathy have been dismissed due to procedural defects in the initial rating decision process.

The Veteran's right lower extremity radiculopathy was granted a 20% disability rating, effective since April 11, 2016. The other issues were denied.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for left and right lower extremity varicose veins, as well as a low back disability, all secondary to service-connected PTSD. The Veteran's obesity is also being evaluated in relation to these conditions.

The Board has dismissed the claims of service connection for left shoulder degenerative joint disease, left knee degenerative arthritis, and thoracolumbar spine degenerative arthritis due to the Veteran's death.

The Veteran's service connection claims for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar and thoracic spine, osteoarthritis of the left hip, and osteoarthritis of the right hip have all been granted due to chronic disease presumptive service connection.

The Board has denied service connection for a back disability, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and right lower extremity radiculopathy due to the lack of evidence showing an in-service injury or disease that is related to these conditions.