Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, but the other issues related to PTSD and psychiatric disorders, low back disability, left knee disability, and bilateral hearing loss are remanded due to incomplete or inadequate evidence.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for left knee disability, right knee disability as secondary to a left knee disability, and low back disability due to lack of evidence showing these conditions are related to service or manifest within one year of service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's lumbar spondylosis is related to his active-duty service and grants entitlement to service connection.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for his back condition, finding that the evidence did not support a link between his current disability and his active service.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal, so the Board dismissed all issues on appeal.

The appeal of the issue of entitlement to service connection for psychiatric disability is dismissed. The issue of entitlement to service connection for thoracolumbar spine disorder is remanded.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is granted from March 1, 2017, due to his service-connected Depressive Disorder and associated disabilities preventing him from securing or maintaining gainful employment.

The Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine is related to her military service, and the Board has granted service connection for this condition.

The Veteran withdrew her appeal before the Board could make a decision on the claims.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's cervical and thoracolumbar spine disabilities are etiologically related to service, granting her claims for these conditions.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for lumbar strain and cervical strain status post cervical fusion, as well as his claims of service connection for left knee strain, ganglion cyst excision without residuals, and residuals, right bicep muscle injury have been dismissed.,The Veteran's appeals for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and OSA have been granted on a limited basis due to the submission of new evidence.

The Veteran's right knee instability is rated at 30 percent, the maximum schedular rating.,The Veteran's lumbar spine disability and right knee osteoarthritis are both rated at 40 percent.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for TDIU, finding that his service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has determined that the AOJ's decision on appeal is remanded due to a lack of adequate VA examination and incomplete medical records. The Veteran's claim for service connection for lumbar spine osteoarthritis and lumbosacral strain (previously back injury) will be reconsidered with an addendum VA medical opinion.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to errors in duty to assist and inadequate examination, requiring further review of the claim for service connection for a low back disability.

The Board has granted service connection for Multiple Sclerosis, Right Knee Strain, Mild Facet Arthrosis of the Lumbar Spine, and Optic Neuritis. The rating assigned is 80 percent for each condition.

The Veteran's death was not due to service-connected conditions, and the VA examiner's opinion did not address inconsistencies in the autopsy report. The case is remanded for an addendum opinion.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current cervical spine condition, including cervical degenerative disc disease, intervertebral disc syndrome, and spinal stenosis, is at least as likely as not related to his reported motor vehicle accidents in service. As a result, the claim for service connection for a neck disability is granted.

The Veteran's lumbosacral strain with degenerative traumatic arthritis of the spine was previously evaluated at a 20% rating effective September 25, 2019. The Board has determined that an adequate VA examination is needed to determine the current severity of his condition.

The Board found that the reduction in disability evaluation from 40 percent to 20 percent for a back disability was improper and void ab initio, restoring the Veteran's original 40 percent rating.