Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for a headache disability as secondary to service-connected thoracolumbar scoliosis and for TDIU due to inextricability with the former claim.

The Veteran's tinnitus was granted service connection. The claims for sinus disability, acquired mental health disorder, left knee disability, right knee disability, right hip disability, left foot disability, and right foot disability are remanded due to the need for additional development.

The Veteran's service-connected low back disability, including mild scoliosis and degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine, has not been properly evaluated due to a lack of recent VA examination. The claim is being remanded for further evaluation.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened, but the AOJ is required to remand them due to insufficient evidence.,Service connection remains denied for a skin disability (other than residuals of a cyst on the left ear), hepatitis A, an eye disability, and an acquired psychiatric disability. The back disability claim has also been remanded.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for cervical spine, lumbar spine, and left shoulder disabilities due to incomplete examination reports and outstanding treatment records.

The Veteran's neck disability is currently rated at 20 percent, which is the maximum rating available under the General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine. The Board found that the evidence did not show forward flexion limited to 15 degrees or less, favorable ankylosis of the entire cervical spine, or IVDS productive of incapacitating episodes requiring bed rest prescribed by a doctor for at least 4 weeks but less than 6 weeks during the past 12 months. The Veteran's disability picture is fully contemplated in the criteria for a 20 percent rating as currently assigned.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a bilateral knee disability, lower back condition, and left hand injury have been denied.,There is no evidence showing that the Veteran's current disabilities are related to his military service.

The Board has remanded the claims for a higher rating for bilateral hearing loss and service connection for various conditions due to incomplete development of records.

The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's current lower back condition is related to his active military service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened and are being remanded due to the submission of new evidence.,Service connection is also being remanded for lumbar spine, cervical spine, and acquired psychiatric disorder (including schizophrenia) disabilities.

The Veteran is entitled to retroactive CRDP compensation payments for the periods from March 1, 2010, through May 31, 2012, and July 19, 2012, through April 30, 2014. However, it is unclear if he received the full amount of VA compensation benefits he was entitled to for the period prior to March 1, 2010.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, bilateral hearing loss, and lumbosacral strain with DDD are all granted as service-connected.

The Veteran's initial increased ratings for left lower extremity radiculopathy and lumbosacral strain were denied by the Board. The Veteran was previously rated at 20% prior to January 15, 2020, and at 40% thereafter.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for residuals of a lumbar spine strain are being remanded due to the lack of a Statement of the Case (SOC).

The Board has decided to remand the case due to the need for additional examination and obtaining private medical records.

The Board has decided that a TDIU is granted, but the claims for service connection of obstructive sleep apnea and back disability are remanded due to inadequate medical opinions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for low back, left knee, and right knee disabilities due to a lack of VA medical examination and missing relevant medical records.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further development and medical opinions regarding the Veteran's low back disorder, including its relationship to service.

The Board denied service connection for low back, right shoulder, hypertension, and tinnitus disabilities. The Veteran's OSA was also not granted as service-connected.,Service connection was denied for all claimed conditions due to a lack of evidence linking the current diagnoses to military service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection of a low back disorder is granted, but the appeal is remanded to determine the nature and etiology of his low back disorder.