Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for low back disability and right lower extremity radiculopathy due to insufficient evidence regarding qualifying periods of service. The Veteran needs to provide medical opinions on the nature, cause, and aggravation of these disabilities.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA and non-VA medical records and scheduling a VA examination to determine the severity of the service-connected back disability from April 1997 to April 19, 2018.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's current lower back disability is caused or aggravated by an injury during her Reserve period of service in 2011. The case will be returned for further development.

The Board denied service connection for a lumbar spine disability, finding that the Veteran's current condition did not have its onset during active service and is not otherwise related to an in-service injury.

The Board has remanded the claims for increased ratings for various knee, ankle, and lumbosacral spine disabilities due to incomplete medical records. The AOJ must obtain these records from private providers.

The Board granted a higher 40 percent rating for the Veteran's lumbar spine spondylolisthesis from May 19, 2023. The decision also denied entitlement to TDIU due to service-connected disabilities.

The Board has determined that additional medical opinions are needed to properly adjudicate the Veteran's claims for service connection for asthma and a low back disability due to inadequate previous opinions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim of service connection for a back disability, finding that there was no evidence linking his current condition to active duty or ACDUTRA service. The Veteran's lay statements were considered but found insufficient to establish a nexus between his current condition and service.

The Veteran's claims for asthma, hypothyroidism, bilateral tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, hypertension, migraine headaches, back disability, left knee strain, right knee strain, right knee recurrent subluxation, left knee recurrent subluxation, and right lower extremity radiculopathy were denied as the earliest effective date is December 19, 2016.,The Veteran's claims for asthma, hypothyroidism, bilateral tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, hypertension, migraine headaches, back disability, left knee strain, right knee strain, right knee recurrent subluxation, left knee recurrent subluxation, and right lower extremity radiculopathy were denied as the earliest effective date is December 19, 2016.

The Veteran's claims for allergic rhinitis, back condition, gastrointestinal disorder, residuals of tuberculosis, sinusitis, and acquired psychiatric disorder are remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions.

The Veteran's disc bulges, thoracolumbar spine disability is currently rated as 10 percent disabling prior to October 16, 2022 and in excess of 20 percent thereafter. The Board finds the evidence does not support a higher rating.,The Veteran's cervical spine spondylosis disability is currently rated as 10 percent disabling from April 14, 2011 to June 17, 2021; 20 percent disabling from June 18, 2021 to October 15, 2022; and 30 percent thereafter. The Board finds the evidence does not support a higher rating.

The Board has granted the Veteran's petitions to reopen his claims for service connection for various conditions, but has remanded these cases due to the need for additional medical examinations and opinions.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral pes planus, low back disability, left knee pain, and right knee pain have been granted.,Service connection has been established for these conditions.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is rated at 40 percent, and his RLE radiculopathy (sciatic nerve) and LLE radiculopathy (femoral nerve) are each rated at 20 percent. The Veteran does not meet the criteria for higher ratings in any of these cases.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities, including TBI, neck disability, skin condition involving the feet, low back disability, left knee disability, and left ankle disability. The claims are being addressed on the merits due to new evidence received since the previous denials.

The Board has granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and has remanded the issues of rating in excess of 20 percent for a back disability, compensable rating for metacarpal repair of the right foot, service connection for hypertension, and service connection for adult onset diabetes.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's cervical spine and thoracolumbar spine disorders are related to service, granting entitlement to service connection for these conditions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and a back disability, finding that there was no evidence of in-service stressors or chronic conditions meeting the criteria for service connection.

The Board has remanded three issues: service connection for back disability, sciatica of the right lower extremity, and sciatica of the left lower extremity. The decision is inextricably intertwined with the claim for service connection for back disability.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating of his lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis was denied as he failed to cooperate by not attending a required VA examination.