Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Board has granted entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU), finding that the Veteran is unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities, including degenerative arthritis in the lumbar spine and bilateral knee replacements. The effective date for this decision is not specified.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the service connection for a low back disability. The Veteran's statements and medical records need further examination.

The Board has granted readjudication of the Veteran's claims for service connection for low back and left shoulder disabilities, finding new and relevant evidence since the May 2013 rating decision. The Veteran is now entitled to service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeal for service connection for pes planus and plantar fasciitis, lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis of the spine and spinal stenosis, and radiculopathy of the right and left lower extremities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's low back disability had its onset during active service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to duty-to-assist errors and the need to consider SSA records.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for new examinations and addendums, particularly regarding right knee flare-ups and a back disorder potentially caused by or aggravated by his service-connected right knee disability.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, back disability, and right hand disability due to the lack of evidence of current disabilities at any time during or approximate to the period on appeal.

The Board has denied service connection for low back, left hip, and right hip conditions. The claims of service connection for left hand tremors and right hand tremors are remanded.,Service connection was not granted for the Veteran's claimed low back, left hip, and right hip conditions due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's neck and lower back disabilities, finding that there is at least equipoise of evidence in favor of a nexus to service.

The Board has remanded the case due to a duty to assist error, specifically regarding an inadequate VA medical opinion. The Veteran's claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 is being reviewed with the assistance of an independent medical expert.

The Board has granted service connection for lumbar spine stenosis, cervical spine stenosis, bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, and bilateral foot drop. The conditions are deemed to be related to the Veteran's in-service injuries due to playing football and carrying heavy equipment.

The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating for his low back disability was dismissed because the June 2019 decision, which granted a higher initial rating but less than maximum benefit, did not abrogate the pending legacy appeal. The issue remains in appellate status under another AMA docket number.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to inadequate medical opinions and a pre-decisional duty-to-assist error. The issues of service connection for lumbar spine, right hip, right knee, bilateral foot, and right shoulder disabilities are being remanded.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim of service connection for a back disability due to duty-to-assist errors that occurred prior to the July 2020 rating decision on appeal.

The Board has determined that new and relevant evidence has not been submitted to warrant readjudication of the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, right knee disability, left knee disability, cervical spine disability, and lumbar spine disability. The claims are being remanded due to a duty to assist error in the October 2018 rating decision.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to deficiencies in the previous decision, including failure to address theories of entitlement and inadequate opinions regarding tinnitus and spine disabilities.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to conflicting findings and deficiencies in the examination reports. Further VA examinations are needed to determine the nature of any identified lumbar spine and knee disabilities, their relationship to active service, and whether they are related to or aggravated by other service-connected conditions.

The Board has remanded the case for further development to address issues related to the Veteran's intervertebral disc syndrome with arthritis of the lumbar spine and a low back disability.

The Board has remanded the claims for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for musculoskeletal thoracic spine pain prior to May 15, 2013 and for TDIU due to service-connected disabilities. The appeals are pending further development.