Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for various disabilities, including back, left hip, right hip, left hand and wrist, right hand and wrist, left foot, and right foot disabilities. The appeals are pending resolution.

The Board has remanded three issues: an increased rating for unspecified anxiety and depressive disorder, an increased rating for left ankle disability, and an increased rating for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine. The Veteran's TDIU claim is also remanded due to its inextricability with these other claims.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining additional medical records and arranging for examinations to assess the Veteran's functional impairment due to his service-connected disabilities. The TDIU claim will be reconsidered based on this new evidence.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's lumbar degenerative disc disease, levoscoliotic curvature, and status post lumbar surgery were incurred during his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for a lumbar spine disability and a right hip disability, but denied service connection for a right leg disability.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right shoulder disability, but has remanded the issues of service connection for hypertension and low back disability. The claims for radiculopathy of the lower extremities are also being remanded.

The Board has granted service connection for a lumbar spine disability, finding that the Veteran's current condition is related to his active duty service. The decision resolves reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral knee osteoarthritis, left hip femoroacetabular impingement syndrome, right hip disability manifested by pain, and degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine as secondary to service-connected bilateral pes planus with left foot plantar fasciitis.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection for sleep apnea and lumbosacral strain because the appellant requested to withdraw these appeals.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for increased ratings for lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis, right lower extremity radiculopathy, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and bilateral hearing loss disability as they are all covered by the March 2023 rating decision.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for back, left knee, right ankle, and left ankle disorders due to insufficient rationale in the April 2019 VA examination. The Veteran's TDIU claim is granted since April 20, 2018.

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary to properly adjudicate the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete records and inadequate medical opinions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence and need for further examination. The issues include low back disability, right knee disability, left knee disability, stomach disability (IBS and acid reflux), and anemia.

The Board has denied service connection for left hip disability, but granted service connection for right hip strain, lumbosacral strain, and bilateral plantar fasciitis as secondary to service-connected PTSD and bilateral knee disabilities.,Reasoning: The private medical opinions provided a link between the Veteran's obesity (an intermediate step) and his current conditions of bilateral plantar fasciitis and right hip strain.

The Board has granted service connection for cervical and lumbar spine conditions, finding that the Veteran's symptoms are related to his military service.,Service connection was also denied for a heart condition due to insufficient evidence of exposure to Agent Orange.

The Veteran's service-connected lumbar strain and right lower extremity radiculopathy have been granted effective June 30, 2014. The TDIU has also been granted from that date.

The Board has determined that the VA examination and opinion provided are inadequate, as they do not address whether the Veteran's current back disability is related to his service-connected left leg condition or if it was aggravated by this condition. The claim must be remanded for further development.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability and PTSD have been granted service connection, with the lumbar spine disability receiving a grant of direct service connection. The Veteran's PTSD has also received a rating of 100 percent effective from November 19, 2009.

The Veteran's combined service-connected rating is at least 40 percent, effective March 29, 2016. The Board finds that the Veteran meets the schedular criteria for consideration of TDIU and has been found to be unemployable due to his service-connected disabilities since March 5, 2018.

The rating reduction from 20 percent to 10 percent for lumbosacral spine strain was improper; a 20 percent rating is restored, effective July 27, 2020. The Veteran's entitlement to a higher rating and an earlier effective date for TDIU are remanded.