Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Veteran's back disability is rated at 40 percent disabling from October 3, 2011, to January 23, 2016. His neck disability was previously rated as 20 percent disabling from October 3, 2011, to March 10, 2017, and 30 percent thereafter.

The Board has remanded several issues for further development, including service connection claims and rating determinations. The Veteran's TDIU claim is granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service connection claims for a cervical spine disability and myofascial pain syndrome are remanded due to incomplete military records. The specific nature of her service-connected disabilities remains under consideration.

The Board denied service connection for all claimed conditions, finding that the evidence did not establish a nexus between any of these conditions and active military service.

The Board granted a 20 percent rating for the Veteran's service-connected low back disability from September 25, 2020. The right ankle disability was rated at 10 percent throughout the appeal period and PTSD led to a grant of TDIU.

The Veteran's claim for TDIU prior to February 3, 2016 was denied as there were no pending claims or evidence of unemployability due to service-connected disabilities within the one-year period preceding the filing of the claim.

The Board has remanded the claims for a rating in excess of 20 percent for thoracolumbar degenerative disc disease and arthritis, as well as service connection for a sleep disorder secondary to the service-connected thoracolumbar disability.,New evidence received since the November 2011 rating decision does not relate to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate the Veteran's claims for right and left hip disabilities.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the claims of service connection for a low back disability, left upper extremity carpal tunnel syndrome, and right upper extremity carpal tunnel syndrome. The Veteran will be provided with new examinations to determine the etiology of these conditions.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and a personality disorder, is dismissed as moot due to the grant of service connection in an October 2023 rating decision. The claims for heart disability, UTI, lymph node disease, granulomatous disease, eye disability, and lumbar spine disability are remanded.

The Veteran's TDIU claim was denied as his service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has granted service connection for a low back disability with radiculopathy of the lower extremities as secondary to service-connected right knee strain with arthritis, residuals of right knee meniscal tear. The decision also remanded issues regarding left knee, right foot, and left foot disabilities.

The Board has granted a TDIU as of October 29, 2020. The issue of entitlement to a TDIU prior to that date is remanded for further review.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for spondylolisthesis of the thoracolumbar spine, retropatellar pain syndrome of the left knee, and lower left extremity radiculopathy due to inadequate examination reports. The issues are now returned to the Board for further review.

The Veteran's claim for higher ratings for service-connected low back disability, including sciatic and femoral radiculopathy, is being remanded due to missing medical authorizations.

The Veteran's tinnitus started during active service and continued to present. The Board has found that the criteria for service connection have been met, granting entitlement to service connection for tinnitus. For the back disability, the case is remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Veteran's cervical strain, lumbosacral strain, and degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the lumbar spine are found to have started during service and continue to present. The Board has granted service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment since December 19, 2012. The Board has granted a TDIU on an extraschedular basis.

The Veteran's service connection claims for bilateral hip, knee, shoulder, foot, and lower back conditions are being remanded due to the need for VA examinations and the retrieval of relevant medical records.

The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to new VA treatment records and outstanding private medical records. The Veteran is requested to provide information and releases necessary to obtain these records.

The Board has found that the AOJ did not substantially comply with the November 2023 remand directives and has ordered a new examination to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's claimed low back disability and skin disorder.