Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Board has granted an effective date of March 23, 2001 for the award of TDIU and DEA benefits. The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have prevented him from securing or following any substantially gainful occupation since that date.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for lumbosacral strain, finding that new and relevant evidence supports a grant of this claim. The Board determined that the Veteran's back disability began during active service.

The Veteran's claim for a lumbar disability was reopened and granted effective June 20, 1994. The claim for costochondritis/Tietze syndrome had an earlier effective date of April 14, 2011.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service-connected due to continuous symptoms since service.,Service connection for the low back disability is granted, with reasonable doubt resolved in favor of the Veteran.

The Board has granted service connection for a right knee condition, left hip condition, and low back condition as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected left knee condition.

The Veteran's low back disability, radiculopathy of the femoral and sciatic nerves, and depression have been granted service connection with effective dates set at October 15, 2010. The rating for his low back condition is denied as it does not meet criteria for a higher rating.

The Board denied the Veteran's request for an earlier effective date for the grant of total disability due to individual unemployability (TDIU) prior to November 10, 2015. The evidence did not show that she was unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment solely due to her service-connected disabilities before this date.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's tinnitus is service connected. The other claims are remanded for further development.

The Board has remanded the service connection claims for a lumbar spine condition, an acquired psychiatric disorder (including depression and PTSD), and a respiratory condition due to new evidence received since the November 2012 rating decision.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for PTSD, back disability, right shoulder disability, and left shoulder disability are being remanded due to procedural errors in obtaining necessary medical records.,The Veteran's claim for a TDIU is also being remanded as there is insufficient information about his employment history.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is currently rated at 20 percent prior to September 10, 2020, and 40 percent thereafter. The issues of increased ratings for the lumbar spine and left knee strain are remanded.,The issue of an earlier effective date for TDIU is also remanded.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevent her from obtaining and maintaining gainful employment, and the Board finds in favor of granting TDIU based on this finding.

The Veteran's low back disability, diagnosed as degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine, is granted as service connected. The Board found that the evidence supports a finding that this condition was incurred during active duty.

The Veteran's service connection claims for low back disability, bilateral hip osteoarthritis, and bilateral knee osteoarthritis are granted. The Board found that the Veteran experienced pain during Airborne training in service and has had these conditions since then.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to procedural errors and the need for a VA medical opinion regarding the Veteran's low back disability.

The Veteran's claims for clothing allowances were denied because the evidence did not show that her knee braces or cane caused damage to her outer garments, and shoes are not considered clothing for VA purposes.,The Veteran was found to have multiple service-connected disabilities including PTSD, lumbosacral strain, bilateral hearing loss and bronchitis, right and left knee conditions, tinnitus, and radiculopathy. However, the evidence did not show that her knee braces or cane caused damage to her outer garments.

The Board has dismissed the appeal as the April 2020 proposed reduction of ratings for service-connected conditions was not an adjudicative determination and thus no question of law or fact is presented.

The Veteran's UTI disability requires intermittent intensive management, including intermittent prescription antibiotics use when she has a UTI. Her disability does not require drainage, frequent hospitalization or continuous intensive management, nor manifest in renal dysfunction or bladder or urethral fistulae.,For the left hip and right hip disabilities, the VA examinations did not provide information on the onset of pain during range of motion testing.

The Board has granted service connection for a lumbar spine disability, finding that the Veteran's current condition is at least as likely as not related to his active duty service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date prior to August 22, 2020, for a 40 percent evaluation of his back disability with scoliosis.