Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation for the period prior to June 9, 2022. The Board finds that his service-connected conditions render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation and grants TDIU on an extraschedular basis.

The Veteran's radiculopathy of the left lower extremity was granted service connection based on secondary to his lumbar spine disability. An effective date of November 6, 2003, but no earlier, is assigned.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine is aggravated by his service-connected right hip disability, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for tinnitus was dismissed. Service connection was granted for left ankle, right ankle, and low back conditions as secondary to service-connected bilateral pes planus and plantar fasciitis.

The Board has determined that the VA medical opinions provided do not comply with the remand instructions and thus, the claims for service connection are being remanded again.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a disability rating in excess of 20 percent for his lumbar spine degenerative disc disease and for a TDIU prior to August 1, 2019. The AOJ is required to obtain VA treatment records from the Bay Pines Health Care System and determine if separate compensable ratings are warranted for any neurological abnormalities associated with his service-connected condition. If not, the case should be referred to the Director of Compensation Service for consideration of an extraschedular TDIU.

The Board has remanded the claims for increased ratings for a low back disability and bronchial asthma with sleep apnea, as well as the TDIU claim due to insufficient medical records and inadequate VA examinations. The Veteran's employment history is also needed for the TDIU determination.

The Veteran's service-connected degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine and cervical spine have been remanded for further development due to insufficient medical evidence from a previous examination in April 2013. A new VA examination is needed to assess the current severity of his disabilities, including retroactive opinions based on Correia v. McDonald (2016) and Sharp v. Shulkin (2017).

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's low back disorder is related to service. The claim will be returned for further development.

The Board has restored the Veteran's lumbosacral strain rating from 40 percent to 10 percent effective September 1, 2018, finding that the reduction was improper due to an inadequate VA examination.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional VA examinations.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional medical opinions regarding the severity of his low back condition and right ankle disability, as well as to determine if these conditions approximate an evaluation for ankylosis.

The Veteran's TDIU claim was granted on an extraschedular basis from August 1, 2012, to June 6, 2021, due to his service-connected disabilities preventing him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has dismissed the service connection appeals for back, liver, prostate, seizure, and brain tumor disorders as they were withdrawn by the Veteran prior to a decision being made.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's back pain began during service and granted service connection for a back condition.

The Board has found that additional medical treatment records and examinations need to be considered for the Veteran's low back, left hip, left leg, and left foot (including toes) conditions. The claims are being remanded for readjudication.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete records and a need to determine her military service dates.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's cervical and lumbar spine disabilities are not related to service, and therefore denied these claims.,The Board also found no current right hip disability at this time, thus denying the claim for a right hip disability.

The Veteran's degenerative disc disease of the lumbosacral spine was granted service connection. The right and left knee disabilities are remanded for further review.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been granted, with the exception of diabetes mellitus and ischemic heart disease. The Board found that his back disability is related to service due to a lifting injury during work as a diesel mechanic in 2005.