Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Veteran's service-connected lumbar degenerative disc disease alone is sufficient to preclude him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment, thus granting individual unemployability on an extraschedular basis effective November 21, 2019.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate VA examinations and the need for a new examination to assess the severity of the Veteran's low back disability, including during flare-ups and incapacitating episodes.

The Veteran's tinnitus was granted service connection. The Board found the evidence in equipoise as to whether his degenerative disease of the lumbar spine with a history of herniated nucleus pulposus, status post L4 and L5, S1 laminectomy and L4-L5 discectomy warranted an increased rating. His left and right lower extremity radiculopathy were remanded for further evaluation.

The Veteran's arthritis, heart disease, and prostate cancer with surgery are not service-connected due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.,COPD is also not service-connected as there was no herbicide exposure documented.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for eye disorders, left ankle disorders, lumbar spine disorders, and sciatica of the left lower extremity. The appeals are remanded for further examination to determine if a current acquired psychiatric disorder is related to service.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's lumbar spine condition as secondary to his service-connected right knee disability.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability, including anterolisthesis and lumbar strain, is not considered to be caused by VA hospital care or medical treatment.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened, but further development is needed to address the merits of his claims due to conflicting evidence and lack of definitive medical opinions.

The Veteran's claims for a compensable rating for hypertension and a rating in excess of 10 percent for a lumbar spine disability are denied due to failure to report for VA examinations. The claim for service connection for a psychiatric disorder is remanded as the record requires an opinion on whether it is related to service.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU are being remanded due to inadequate compliance with the December 2022 Board remand. The case will be returned to the VA examiner for a retrospective opinion addressing the severity of his service-connected back disorder during the entire appeal period.

The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate VA examination, and a new evaluation is needed for the Veteran's lumbosacral spine disability.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including addressing earlier effective dates and initial ratings.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a lumbar spine disability, finding that there was no evidence of chronic low back symptoms during or following service and rejecting the Veteran's assertions of in-service injury. The Board also found insufficient medical opinion to establish a nexus between current disability and service.

The Board has granted service connection for back disability and right shoulder disability, but remanded the claim for tinea pedis due to insufficient evidence.

The Board has granted service connection for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine. The other claims, including those related to left and right lower extremity neuropathy, are remanded.

The Board has remanded several issues related to service connection for various disabilities, including a right fifth finger disability, gastroesophageal disorder (GERD), lumbar spine condition, shifted pelvis, and neurological conditions of the upper and lower extremities. The AOJ is instructed to review this new evidence in their first instance.

The claims for service connection for various conditions have been denied.,New evidence has not been received to reopen the previously denied claims of service connection for arthritis of the left hand, right hand, right knee, low back, nasal fracture, sinus disability, headaches, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, and lung disability.

The Veteran's claim for lumbar spine disability was reopened due to new and material evidence. Service connection for residuals of traumatic brain injury is granted.,TDIU benefits are granted, with the issue of a higher rating for right ankle disability being remanded.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for heart disability, prostate cancer, and back disability due to incomplete verification of the Veteran's periods of active duty, ACDUTRA, and INACDUTRA. The Veteran's complete personnel records need to be associated with the claims file.

The Board has denied service connection for residuals of a fractured coccyx and an acquired psychiatric disorder other than OCD. The low back disability, bilateral plantar fasciitis, and right hip disability claims are remanded.,Service connection is not granted for the Veteran's claimed conditions due to lack of current diagnoses or evidence linking them to service.