Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for low back, bilateral knee, left hip, and bilateral foot disabilities due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his active duty.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his lumbar spine disability and associated radiculopathies were denied. The Board found that the current evaluations met the criteria under the General Formula of 38 C.F.R. § 4.71a, Diagnostic Code 5243.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities meet the schedular requirements for a TDIU since February 16, 2011. His combined rating of 80% effectively grants his claim.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date earlier than September 20, 2017, for the grant of service connection for tinnitus is denied.,The Veteran's claim for a disability rating in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus is denied. The maximum schedular rating authorized under Diagnostic Code 6260 has already been assigned.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical evidence and need for further examination.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings and effective dates have been dismissed. The Board also found that the Veteran is entitled to a TDIU from November 18, 2015 through January 24, 2017 due to his service-connected PTSD and major depressive disorder with secondary alcohol abuse.

The Board has granted the Veteran's appeal for reversal of the discontinuation of reduced work tolerance (RWT) VR&E services and remanded to determine if retroactive induction into RWT VR&E services from January 2019 is warranted.

The Veteran's claims for left-ear hearing loss and right-ear hearing loss have been granted. Claims for left knee disorder, right knee disorder, left shoulder disorder, low back disorder, and acquired mental disorder (PTSD) are remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's lumbar degenerative disc disease, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus are not related to his active service.,There is no evidence of any in-service injury or event resulting in these conditions.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU have been remanded due to the need for further review of submitted evidence.

The Board has granted service connection for thoracolumbar spine spondylosis and degenerative arthritis, finding that the conditions originated during active service.

The Veteran seeks earlier effective dates for his service-connected radiculopathy of the left and right lower extremities. The Board finds that records from Southwest Medical Associates, Dudley Chiropractic, and Nevada Orthopedic & Spine Center may contain relevant information to support an earlier effective date.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to incomplete VA medical opinions and requests a new examination.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient opinions provided in previous examinations and the need for additional VA examinations.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for left knee and low back disabilities, finding that further examination is needed to determine if these conditions are proximately due or aggravated by his service-connected right knee disability.

The Board has granted the veteran's TDIU claim since November 20, 2008. The case is remanded for consideration of a TDIU on an extraschedular basis prior to November 20, 2008.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's low back disability as secondary to his service-connected bilateral knee disabilities.

The Veteran's back and right hip disabilities are being remanded for further examination to determine if they are related to service-connected knee disabilities.,The Veteran's right hip disability is also being remanded for further examination to determine if it is related to service-connected knee disabilities.

The Veteran's lumbar spine degenerative disc and joint disease is rated at 40 percent since July 23, 2009. The appeal for a higher rating remains pending.

The Board has granted service connection for left knee disability, right knee disability, and low back disability due to the evidence being at least in equipoise that these conditions were incurred or aggravated during military service.