Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a back disability, finding that there is not sufficient evidence to establish a link between his current degenerative arthritis and his active service.,The Board has also remanded the claims for service connection for left ankle and left foot disabilities due to conflicting medical opinions and lack of proper evidentiary development.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not render him unemployable prior to May 21, 2012. The Board found that the evidence did not support his claim for a TDIU on an extraschedular basis.

The Board has decided to remand three issues related to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities: a rating in excess of 40 percent for lumbar spine disability, a rating in excess of 50 percent for acquired psychiatric disability, and a compensable rating for scar, status post L5 microdiskectomy. The decision is based on the need for new VA examinations due to the passage of time since the last evaluations.

The Veteran's service connection claims for intermittent tension headaches, cervical spine degenerative arthritis and degenerative disc disease other than IVDS, right hip strain and trochanteric pain syndrome, left hip strain and trochanteric pain syndrome, and pan sinusitis of the sphenoidal and maxillary sinuses with bilateral mastoid effusions have all been granted due to presumed exposure during service in Southwest Asia.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates and service connection are remanded due to insufficient information on which to decide the claims. The Veteran is required to undergo VA examinations to determine the nature and cause of his sleep disabilities, low back disabilities, body aches (including fibromyalgia), and bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has determined that another remand is necessary due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's claimed disabilities, including heart disease, hypertension, prostate disorder, rheumatoid arthritis, and orthopedic disabilities.

The Board has granted service connection for left shoulder and low back disabilities, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are at least as likely as not related to his military service.

The Board denied service connection for a back condition, finding that the Veteran's congenital scoliosis and kyphosis were not aggravated during service and there was no superimposed injury or disease. The Board also found that her osteoporosis, degenerative arthritis, strain, and intervertebral disc syndrome did not manifest due to service.,The Board denied service connection for a neck condition, finding that the Veteran's neck pain did not begin during service and there was no evidence of aggravation by service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for lumbar radiculopathy of the right and left lower extremities due to a lack of analysis regarding subjective terms of degree, as well as conflicting evidence on whether his symptoms are due to service-connected conditions or other causes.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for cervical spine, thoracolumbar spine, and right knee disabilities due to inadequate medical opinions and failure to verify all periods of active service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for an increased rating for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine and a separate rating for left lower extremity radiculopathy due to new evidence indicating worsening symptoms since the last examination.

The Veteran's low back pain with degenerative arthritis and degenerative joint disease status post discectomy and L4/5 foraminotomy have been granted disability ratings, with the most recent rating of 40 percent effective from October 1, 2015.

The Board denied service connection for PTSD, a lumbosacral spine disability, a right ankle disability, and bilateral knee disabilities due to the lack of evidence supporting an in-service stressor or injury related to these conditions.,Service connection was also denied for radiculopathy of the bilateral lower extremities.

The Board has determined that the VA examination and medical opinion provided were not fully responsive to the March 2022 remand requests, necessitating further review and a new examination.

The Board denied service connection for a heart disorder. The back and left leg disorders are both remanded for further examination and opinion.

The Board found no evidence to support service connection for a low back condition or migraine headaches, as the Veteran's conditions were not shown to have begun during active service and are not otherwise related to an in-service injury or disease.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened due to the submission of new and material evidence.,Service connection is being remanded for further review on these issues.

The Veteran's service connection claims for lumbar spine disability, bilateral hip osteoarthritis, and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy have been granted. The claim for erectile dysfunction (E.D.) is remanded for further evaluation.

The Board has decided to remand the claim for service connection for joint pain, specifically low back, bilateral hips, right knee, and right wrist due to insufficient evidence regarding a direct relationship to in-service duties. Additional development is needed to address whether the Veteran's current disabilities are related to his exposure on concrete and steel decks during service.

The Veteran's appeal for avitaminosis, also claimed as weight loss, has been dismissed. The claims for service connection for various disabilities have been remanded due to the need for additional development of his service records and outpatient treatment records.