Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding his radiculopathy conditions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for a back condition, right knee condition, and right arm nerve damage due to potential service connection issues.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for headaches, low back disability, and sleep apnea due to incomplete service treatment records and insufficient evidence regarding the onset or etiology of these conditions. The Veteran is requested to undergo VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of his claimed disabilities.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation prior to May 25, 2017.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for heart condition, low back condition, and bilateral hearing loss due to procedural errors in previous decisions.

The Board has remanded the claims due to a failure to address a February 2014 deferred rating decision and potential VA treatment records from various facilities. The Veteran's service personnel records have been added, but further development is needed.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been received sufficient to reopen the Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for a right knee disability, status post meniscus repair. The claims for service connection for intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS) with degenerative joint disease (DJD) of the lumbar spine and left lower extremity radiculopathy are remanded due to inextricable ties to the Veteran's back condition.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral knee and lumbosacral spine disabilities due to insufficient medical nexus opinions. The Veteran is expected to provide updated treatment records, and addendum opinions are needed regarding the nature and etiology of his claimed disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for back and right knee conditions have been reopened, but the Board has determined that additional evidence is needed to decide these claims.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for back, right hip, and right knee conditions due to insufficient evidence of record.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD, but dismissed the appeals for degenerative arthritis of the thoracic and lumbar spine and diabetes mellitus. The appeal for Parkinson's disease is remanded to obtain a medical opinion regarding its relationship to service-connected PTSD.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a right knee disability, back condition (claimed as secondary to right knee disability), and neck condition (claimed as secondary to right knee disability) due to lack of evidence showing that these conditions began during active service or are otherwise related to an in-service injury.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus has been granted. The claims for bilateral hearing loss, left foot bone sprain, residuals of a left foot ganglion cyst removal, depressive disorder other than PTSD, low back disorder, sinusitis, radiating right lower extremity pain, sleep disorder (to include sleep apnea), and migraine headaches have all been remanded due to the need for additional development.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a rating in excess of 10 percent for left knee patellofemoral syndrome, right knee patellofemoral and iliotibial band syndrome, and thoracolumbar spondylolisthesis due to additional evidence being added to the record.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received sufficient to reopen the claim for entitlement to service connection for a low back condition. The claims for neck, right wrist, right hip, right ankle, and bilateral foot disabilities are remanded for further development.

The Veteran is granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) from February 1, 2006 due to his service-connected psychiatric disorder. He is also granted special monthly compensation at the housebound rate.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the etiology of his claimed disabilities, particularly those related to secondary service connection.

The Veteran's claims for a higher back rating and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and scheduling an updated VA examination.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for service connection due to overlooked issues and unavailability of service treatment records. The Veteran's exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune is acknowledged, but no presumptive diseases are listed as related to this exposure.

The Veteran's effective date for TDIU and DEA benefits is denied as there was no pending claim prior to August 24, 2017, and the evidence does not show a factually ascertainable increase in service-connected disabilities during the one-year look-back period.