Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for upper back disability, thoracolumbar spine disability, right knee disability, left knee disability, right ankle disability, left ankle disability, and disabilities manifesting in both arms due to a lack of current disabilities related to service.

The Board has granted service connection for lumbar strain as secondary to hallux valgus, but has remanded the issue of bilateral radiculopathy secondary to lumbar strain.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's back disorder and denied service connection for acute sinusitis, gastroenteritis, a plantar wart, plantar fasciitis, and a right shoulder disorder. The decision is based on the evidence showing continuous symptoms of these conditions during or after active duty service.

The Board has found a pre-decisional duty to assist error and has ordered the development of a supplemental examination report for the Veteran's lumbar disability, including degenerative changes of the lumbar spine. The appeal is remanded.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various musculoskeletal conditions, including bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The issues are related to whether these conditions are related to her active duty training (ACDUTRA).

The Veteran's initial disability ratings for left hip strain and lumbosacral strain have been denied as his conditions do not meet the criteria for higher ratings under the applicable rating criteria.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder and lumbosacral strain have not improved to warrant restoration of the previously assigned ratings.

Your appeal has been dismissed due to the death of the appellant. No service connection is granted for any condition.

The Veteran's lumbosacral strain was first diagnosed during active duty for training in June 2013. The Board granted service connection based on the evidence showing a chronic condition since that time.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions do not render him in need of the regular aid and attendance of another person, as his disabilities do not significantly impair his ability to perform daily activities.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection of a back condition has been dismissed due to the death of the appellant. The Board does not have jurisdiction to adjudicate this matter as the appellant is deceased.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including back pain, Parkinsonism, and depression, render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation consistent with his education and work history.

The Board has granted service connection for a low back disability, but denied service connection for headaches. The low back condition is considered secondary to the Veteran's bilateral knee disability. Headaches are not service-connected.

The Board has granted secondary service connection for migraine headaches as a result of the Veteran's service-connected traumatic brain injury. The claim for service connection for a back disability is remanded due to inadequate medical opinion.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD), left lower extremity radiculopathy, and right lower extremity radiculopathy are being remanded due to inadequate examination reports that did not consider flare-ups.

The Board has found that the RO's adjudication of the claims without obtaining VA examinations is a pre-decisional duty to assist error and requires remanding for further action, including scheduling VA examinations.

The Veteran's appeal for restoration of a 40 percent evaluation for lumbosacral strain with intervertebral disc syndrome has been dismissed as the appellant withdrew the appeal in December 2022.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's chronic lumbar spine disability, finding that it began during his active military service and persists to this day.

The Board has granted effective dates of June 19, 2008 for the award of a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) and eligibility to Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA). The TDIU was awarded due to service-connected back disability, which also led to an earlier effective date for DEA benefits.

The Board has dismissed the appeal because the proposed reduction of the Veteran's disability rating for lumbar strain from 20 percent to 10 percent was not a final decision by VA, and thus the issue is not properly before the Board.