Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating of his service-connected lumbar spine disability is denied. The Board has remanded the issue due to conflicting evidence and further clarification needed.

The Veteran's residuals lumbar strain with myositis is rated at 40 percent, and the Board has denied a higher rating as there is no evidence of unfavorable ankylosis or other conditions that would warrant a higher rating.

The Board denied service connection for various disabilities, including back, neck, lower extremity radiculopathy, knee, ankle, and hypertension. The reasons given were that the evidence did not support a finding of in-service injury or disease resulting in these conditions.,Service connection was denied as there was no credible medical evidence linking any current disability to service.

The Board denied service connection for a left knee disorder and a low back disorder, both of which were found not to be related to the Veteran's service or service-connected right knee disorders.

The Board has determined that the VA examinations and opinions provided for the Veteran's bilateral feet, left ankle, left hip, and lumbar spine were inadequate. The claims are being remanded to obtain a new and adequate VA opinion to determine whether these disabilities were caused or aggravated by the Veteran's service-connected left knee disability.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for higher ratings for his back disability due to insufficient evidence regarding the severity and extent of his condition during specific time periods. The case is returned to the RO for further development, including obtaining an addendum opinion from a VA examiner.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient opinions regarding whether the service-connected disabilities caused or aggravated obesity, which in turn caused OSA. The Veteran must provide addendum VA examination opinions.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for a right shoulder condition and a lower back condition, finding that new evidence supports reopening of these previously denied claims.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for an increased rating of 10 percent for thoracolumbar spine strain, and the Board dismissed the appeal.

The Board denied service connection for a back disorder and hypertension, finding that the persuasive weight of the evidence did not support a link between these conditions and service.

The Board has denied service connection for left knee, right knee, and low back disabilities due to a lack of evidence showing the conditions were incurred or aggravated during active duty.

The Veteran is seeking earlier effective dates for various service-connected conditions, but the Board finds that no such effective dates are warranted based on the evidence of record.,For his back disability, the Veteran seeks an earlier effective date due to CUE in a March 2012 rating decision. The Board found no clear and unmistakable error.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to duty-to-assist errors. The Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, back disability, and psychiatric disabilities are currently pending.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including bilateral shin splints, left leg disability, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) disability, abnormal heart / stress disorder, left knee disability, right knee disability, lumbar spine disability, and shoulder disabilities. The Board found that there was no evidence to support the Veteran's claims based on his service records.

The Veteran's right hand disability and unspecified trauma and stressor-related disorder are granted service connection, while sinusitis, lumbosacral strain, right lower extremity radiculopathy, allergic rhinitis, and scarring status post inguinal hernia surgery do not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations for degenerative arthritis of the cervical and lumbar spine with IVDS, as well as radiculopathy in multiple extremities, have been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher evaluation based on the severity of his disabilities.,The Veteran was granted 30 percent, 40 percent, and 20 percent evaluations for middle radicular group radiculopathy of the left upper extremity, right upper extremity, and lower extremities respectively. However, these evaluations are still denied as they do not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Veteran's lumbar spine, right knee, and left knee disabilities are rated at the maximum allowed under current criteria. The appeal for higher ratings is denied.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for DDD and DJD of the thoracolumbar spine, as well as OSA. The VA will obtain any outstanding VA treatment records from Montgomery VAMC beginning January 1, 2011, and provide the Veteran with a new VA examination to address the etiology of his thoracolumbar spine disorders and OSA.

The appeal for service connection of chronic low back pain is dismissed due to the appellant's death.

The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for a lumbosacral strain (claimed as low back pain) is remanded due to incomplete examination findings and the need for additional testing.