Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient development, specifically regarding the etiology of the Veteran's lumbar spine disability and its continuity since service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of a back disability, finding that there is no evidence showing it was incurred or aggravated by his military service.

The Veteran's appeal for an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is dismissed. The Board has also remanded the issues of service connection for a low back disability and bilateral hip disabilities.

The Board has granted service connection for lumbar strain, finding that the Veteran's back condition is etiologically related to her time in active service.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete information regarding his military service and need for a more comprehensive opinion on his low back disability. The issues of service connection for multiple joint pain, including as due to an undiagnosed illness, and for low back pain are also being remanded.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected. The issues of service connection for degenerative arthritis and spinal stenosis, lumbosacral spine, with left lower extremity radiculopathy and a right ankle injury are remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to concerns about the Veteran's scoliosis and its relation to his back disability. The matter will be further examined to determine if it constitutes a congenital defect or disease, and whether any aggravation occurred during service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not prevent him from securing and following substantially gainful employment prior to February 6, 2018.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the Veteran's low back and left knee disabilities.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's back disorder. The case will be returned for further development.

The Veteran's initial ratings for back disability and right sciatica have been granted at a 20 percent level.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service-connected. The cases for bilateral hearing loss, acquired psychiatric condition (including PTSD), and lumbar strain are remanded due to insufficient medical opinions.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for lumbar spine DDD and DJD, left lower extremity L5 radiculopathy, right knee disorder, and left knee disorder were denied. The appeal of the temporary total rating based on surgical convalescence following left hip replacement surgery was dismissed as moot.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations of her low back disability and right leg sciatica are being remanded due to the need for additional VA examinations to assess the severity of her conditions, including any flare-ups.

The Board has found that VBA did not substantially comply with the prior remand directives and has ordered additional development, including obtaining copies of State Disability Insurance (SDI) benefits records.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for clarification of an existing VA examiner's opinion regarding the Veteran's coccyx pain and its impact on his lumbar spine disability. The claim will be returned for further development.

The Veteran's mild lumbar spondylosis was evaluated at a 40 percent rating, which is the maximum schedular rating available for this condition. The Board denied an increased rating as his symptoms did not meet or approximate the criteria for a higher evaluation.

The Veteran's cervical spine disorder is denied as not related to service. For the lumbar spine, a rating in excess of 10 percent prior to July 6, 2020 and from July 6, 2020 is also denied due to lack of incapacitating episodes or ankylosis. Right knee chondromalacia and left knee chondromalacia are each rated at the maximum allowable rating.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a low back disability, finding that his condition clearly and unmistakably existed prior to service and was not aggravated by service. The Board also found no evidence of any superimposed injury or disease during service.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of the Veteran's lumbar spine disorder, specifically whether it is related to his in-service back injury. The Veteran needs to provide additional medical records and a new VA examination will be conducted.