Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient consideration of the Veteran's lay statements regarding his symptoms in service and their connection to his current condition.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, cervical spine disorder, and lumbar spine disorder due to procedural issues and the need for further development.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for left shoulder disability and lumbar spine disability due to inadequate VA examination opinions. The Veteran contends that his disabilities are related to service, but the VA examiner found no evidence of a back injury during service and concluded that the conditions are more likely due to natural aging.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions and compliance with proper notice requirements.

The Board has remanded the case due to a need for clarification on the etiology of the Veteran's lumbar spine disability, which may be related to his service or other factors.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a lumbar spine disability, finding that there was no evidence of an in-service injury or disease and that any current condition is more likely due to natural aging process.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding the Veteran's spine disabilities and their relation to service. The case is returned for further development.

The Board has granted a 40 percent rating for the Veteran's low back disability, but remanded the issues of service connection for bilateral shoulder and hip arthritis.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for low back disability, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and right lower extremity radiculopathy due to inconsistencies in the medical opinions provided.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and other benefits were denied. The lumbar spine disability was rated at 100% during convalescence, then 40%. The left lower extremity radiculopathy of the femoral nerve was granted a 20% rating prior to January 5, 2022, but denied for higher ratings thereafter. The left lower extremity radiculopathy of the sciatic nerve was also granted a 20% rating prior to January 5, 2022, but denied for higher ratings thereafter. The lumbar spine surgical scar was rated at 10%. TDIU and SMC were not warranted prior to November 27, 2018.

The Board has remanded the restoration of service connection claims for cervical spine arthritis, lumbar spine arthritis, bilateral shoulder arthritis, right thumb arthritis, and scar formation due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology. The Veteran's conditions may be related to his pre-existing polyarthralgia or osteoarthritis.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for TDIU from June 9, 2009, finding that his service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's back disability and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy of the sciatic nerves have not resulted in a higher rating from March 10, 2014 to August 26, 2014, September 9, 2015 to May 10, 2020, and since May 1, 2021.,The Veteran's right and left lower extremity radiculopathy of the sciatic nerves have not resulted in a higher rating from May 1, 2021.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is currently rated at 10 percent for the period from September 19, 2008 to September 16, 2020 and remanded for further evaluation. The Veteran's lumbar spine disability warrants a rating higher than 10 percent.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened and are granted. The Board finds new and material evidence to support the reopening of his claims for back condition, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and erectile dysfunction.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss have been reopened, and both conditions are now granted. The appeal is also granted for the evaluation of left shoulder tendonitis and left clavicle spur, lumbar spondylosis and osteophytosis, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), uterine fibroids, migraines, hypertension, residual scar from ventral hernia repair, anxiety, memory loss, sleep disturbances, knee disorder, and fibromyalgia. The appeal is remanded for further evaluations and determinations on these issues.

The Board has determined that new and significant evidence has been added to the claims file since the last Supplemental Statement of the Case (SSOC) issued in June 2019. The Veteran's service-connected disabilities may affect his ability to work, which is considered part of the TDIU claim. Therefore, all issues are remanded for further review.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is rated at 40% prior to January 20, 2019. Ratings for his right and left knee disabilities are mixed - some issues granted (right knee instability, meniscal symptomatology), others denied or remanded (painful and limited motion). The appeal is not about service connection.

The Board denied service connection for lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis, finding that the Veteran's current back condition is not related to his military service.

The Veteran's degenerative joint disease of lumbar spine is rated at 20 percent, the highest available rating. The Board found that a higher rating was not warranted based on the evidence.