Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Veteran's petition to reopen claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, fibromyalgia, and a low back disability has been granted. The claims are now remanded for further development.,Service connection is being granted for the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to scheduling issues and a hospitalization during the last scheduled VA examination. The Veteran is required to have VA examinations rescheduled.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for abrasion right leg is denied as there is no current diagnosis of the condition.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied due to lack of evidence of a disability during service and post-service. The Veteran has not been provided with an examination related to this issue.,Service connection for tinnitus is granted based on in-service exposure to noise and the Veteran's report of onset during service.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's lower back disorder, finding that it is aggravated by his service-connected right ankle disorder.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further examination and opinion regarding the Veteran's low back disability, specifically focusing on the period since September 2019.

The Board has remanded the claim for service connection of a low back disability due to insufficient medical opinion regarding its relationship to active service. The Veteran contends his current back disabilities are related to an in-service motor vehicle accident, but the VA examiner's opinion is based solely on lack of in-service evidence without considering the Veteran's reports and symptoms.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension but denied claims for lumbosacral strain (low back disability) and right knee joint osteoarthritis, finding that the evidence does not support a link to active service.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's claim for service connection of a left hand disability due to his withdrawal. The remaining issues have been remanded, including back, neck, right shoulder, right knee, right ankle, and left hip disabilities.

The Veteran's erectile dysfunction is granted as secondary to his service-connected right shoulder and back disabilities.,The Veteran's right ankle disability is granted as related to active service.,The Veteran's left ankle disability is granted as related to active service.

The Veteran's low back disability was granted an initial rating of 40 percent prior to April 17, 2019. The VA found that the Veteran's symptoms most closely approximated forward flexion of the spine at 30 degrees or less.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for a lower back disorder and headaches, as additional development is required.

The Veteran's service-connected psychiatric disability alone prevented him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment, leading to a TDIU rating effective May 1, 2021.

The Veteran's claims for a higher rating for lumbosacral spine degenerative disc disease and strain, as well as an effective date prior to March 6, 2018, for TDIU based on service-connected disabilities, are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examination.

The Board has denied service connection for sinusitis and remanded the issue of service connection for a back disorder.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the threshold requirements for TDIU, and they do not render him unemployable on an extraschedular basis for the rating period prior to September 29, 2014.

The Board has determined that further development is needed for the Veteran's claims regarding his service-connected spondylolisthesis with degenerative disc disease. The case will be returned to the RO for additional examination and evaluation.

The Veteran's appeal is dismissed due to his death, and no disability evaluation was granted.

The Veteran was granted TDIU from May 28, 2015 to October 31, 2017 due to his service-connected disabilities. After this period, the Board denied TDIU as of October 31, 2017.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining relevant private treatment records and securing an addendum medical opinion to assess the historical severity of the Veteran's lumbar spine disability.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a disability rating in excess of 40 percent for his lumbar spine disability and for entitlement to TDIU prior to November 4, 2015. The issues are being remanded due to inadequate VA examinations.