Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further examination and to obtain relevant treatment records, including those from non-VA providers. The issues of rating cervical spine disability, right shoulder disability, and right elbow disability are being remanded due to the possibility of material worsening since the last VA examination in February 2018.

The Board has determined that the VA's remand instructions were not followed and thus, the case must be returned to the RO for further development. The Veteran seeks service connection for a cervical spine disability either as directly related to his service or as caused by his service-connected low back disability.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection of left knee disability, right knee disability, left hip disability, right hip disability, and back disability. The claim for an initial rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD prior to February 18, 2020, was also denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a low back condition, finding that there was no nexus between his current low back condition and his military service or any service-connected conditions.

The Board denied service connection for tinnitus, cervical spine disability, thoracic spine disability, low back disability, right hip disability, left hip disability, traumatic brain injury (TBI), headache disability, right upper extremity radiculopathy, left upper extremity radiculopathy, and right lower extremity radiculopathy as the evidence did not support a causal relationship between these conditions and service.,The Board found that there was no credible evidence of an in-service injury or incident related to the claimed disabilities.

The Board has remanded the cases due to a lack of current evidence regarding the Veteran's service-connected degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine, right lower extremity radiculopathy, and left lower extremity radiculopathy. A new VA examination is required for each condition.

The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating for persistent depressive disorder has been dismissed. The Board has remanded the remaining issues of service connection for various conditions, including left shoulder degenerative arthritis, cervical spine condition, and ankle, knee, foot, thigh, and back conditions.

The appeal is dismissed for the issue of an effective date prior to March 11, 2014 for the grant of service connection for radiculopathy of the right lower extremity (sciatic nerve). The appeals for higher ratings for lumbosacral degenerative disc disease and radiculopathy of the right lower extremity are remanded.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for right knee disability, left knee disability, and thoracolumbar spine disability due to additional evidence received after a previous SSOC. The case will be returned to the Board for further review.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral shoulder, knee, foot, hearing loss, and low back disabilities have been reopened. Bilateral knee and foot disabilities are granted, while the denial of bilateral shoulder disability remains unchanged.,Bilateral hearing loss and OSA claims are remanded for further evaluation.

The Board has remanded the case for obtaining outstanding medical records and readjudicating the claims on appeal. The Veteran is required to submit or authorize VA to obtain all non-VA medical records related to his claims, including those from a private primary care physician he was seeing since 2009.

Service connection for COPD is granted from August 10, 2022, due to exposure to fine particulate matter during service in the Persian Gulf. The Veteran's PTSD and hypertension are not rated higher.

The Board has remanded the case for additional examinations to assess the severity of the Veteran's lumbar spine disability, as previous VA examinations did not comply with the requirements set forth in Correia and Sharp.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for a neck/upper back disability due to inadequate medical opinions and incomplete review of his records. The case is returned to the RO for further development.

The Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based upon individual unemployability (TDIU) prior to February 5, 2020 is being remanded due to the need for extraschedular consideration.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is rated at 20 percent, granting an initial rating for the condition.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a back disorder, bilateral hearing loss, and left knee disorder. The TDIU claim is also remanded.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a right ankle disorder is granted. The Board has also remanded the issue of secondary service connection for low back disorder related to his right ankle disorder.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and an earlier effective date for service connection were denied. Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder was granted on a secondary basis.

The Veteran requested to withdraw their appeal regarding the lower back condition, and as a result, the Board dismissed the appeal.