Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Veteran's service connection claim for vaginitis is granted. The Board finds that the current disability is related to vaginal infections during active duty and grants the claim.

The Board has reopened the claims for service connection for a back disability, cervical spine disability, and lumbar spine disability. The claim for right shoulder disability is remanded due to new evidence submitted.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for back, left hip, and right hip conditions have been reopened. However, the Board has determined that remand is necessary to obtain additional medical opinions regarding the etiology of these conditions.

The Veteran's GERD is rated as 10 percent disabling. The Board finds that the evidence does not support a finding of considerable impairment of health due to his GERD, and thus denies an evaluation in excess of 10 percent. For his thoracolumbar condition (low back disability) and cervical strain, the Veteran's claim is remanded for additional examination.

The Veteran's low back disorder is not related to his military service and is not caused or aggravated by any of his service-connected disabilities.,The Veteran's right foot accessory bone (os externum) was a congenital defect that did not have an additional disability superimposed during service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for cervical DDD, right shoulder degenerative arthritis, and left shoulder degenerative arthritis as there is no evidence to support a direct relationship between these conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's claims for higher initial ratings for his back and right knee disabilities are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining an addendum opinion on functional loss during flare-ups and a VA examination to determine the current severity of his service-connected right knee disability.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's back disability and associated bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, finding that the evidence is at least in approximate balance.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not preclude him from securing and following any substantially gainful employment from April 17, 2010 to November 15, 2012.,From November 16, 2012 to September 10, 2013, the Veteran's service-connected disabilities significantly impacted his ability to obtain and maintain any substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's claim for a lower back disability is reopened, and the case is remanded to determine if his current low back condition is related to service or secondary to his service-connected cervical strain.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including lumbar strain, major depressive disorder with anxious stress, urinary incontinence, and radiculopathy of the lower extremities, render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation. The Board finds that TDIU is warranted for the periods on appeal.

The Veteran's June 6, 2012 claim for service connection of insomnia reasonably raised a claim of entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder in addition to a claim of service connection for insomnia. The effective date is granted as June 6, 2012.,The earliest date as of which it is factually ascertainable that symptoms of left lower extremity radiculopathy had occurred is March 5, 2014. The effective date is denied.

The Board has dismissed the claim for service connection for low back strain due to withdrawal by the Veteran. The issues of compensable rating for hypertension, service connection for TBI, dry eye syndrome and nuclear cataracts, sinusitis, gastroenteritis, and TDIU are all remanded.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development and an opinion regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's low back condition, including consideration of his in-service injury.

The Veteran's service-connected degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine with intervertebral disc syndrome and sciatica have been granted a disability rating of 40 percent, effective from September 10, 2018. The decision also grants ratings of 20 percent for sciatica of the left lower extremity and right lower extremity associated with the lumbar spine condition.

The Board has dismissed all claims as the Veteran withdrew their appeal by requesting a Higher-Level Review and opting all claims from the April 10, 2020 decision into the Appeals Modernization Act.

The Veteran's service connection claims for left ear hearing loss, neck condition (cervical spine), back condition (cervical spine), left breast condition, muscle atrophy, left foot condition, and right foot condition have been granted. The rating of 20 percent has been restored for the left cervical sensory loss, circumflex nerve.

The Board has remanded the claims for lumbar spine disability, asthma, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), hypertension, right toe injury, headaches, and an acquired psychiatric disorder to determine the appellant's periods of service.

The Board denied service connection for cervical and thoracolumbar spine disabilities, finding that the conditions were not related to service.

The Veteran's TDIU claim for the period prior to March 22, 2019 was denied as he had a substantially gainful occupation despite his service-connected disabilities.