Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding the etiology of his bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and low back disability.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the Veteran's low back disability. The VA needs to obtain new opinions from a specialist in orthopedic medicine and provide an addendum opinion on the etiology of the Veteran's current low back disability.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including his knee and back conditions, have rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment prior to September 4, 2012. The Board has remanded for further development regarding the issues of higher ratings for his bilateral knee disabilities and lower extremity radiculopathies.

The Veteran is granted a TDIU from July 31, 2014 to July 24, 2016 and November 15, 2017 to March 30, 2018 due to her service-connected disabilities preventing her from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity is granted as secondary to his service-connected lumbosacral strain. The extension of a temporary total rating for lumbar spine surgery convalescence past August 1, 2012, is denied. Service connection for erectile dysfunction and obstructive sleep apnea are remanded due to lack of medical opinions. Service connection for unspecified arthritis (distinct from service-connected lumbar spine disability) is also remanded. The Veteran's residuals of a nasal fracture, adjustment disorder with depressed mood, lumbar strain, and lumbar spine scar are all remanded.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete records and inadequate opinions regarding service connection for lumbar spine degenerative disc disease. The claim will be returned for further development.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development on issues including service connection for hip disabilities, TDIU, and SMC.,No effective date earlier than December 13, 2016, was granted for the grant of a 40 percent rating for degenerative disc disease of lumbar spine.

The Board has granted service connection for a heart condition and a thoracolumbar spine disorder, finding that these conditions are related to the Veteran's active duty service. The appeal is denied for sleeping disorder and blood clots as there is no current disability found.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for higher initial ratings for residuals of TBI, thoracolumbar strain with levoscoliosis, sinusitis/rhinitis disability prior to June 6, 2016, and since June 6, 2016. The claim for a higher initial rating for hypertension was also denied. Additionally, the Veteran's claim for TDIU prior to May 23, 2017 was denied.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the Veteran's back condition and its relation to service.

The Board denied service connection for a back disability and a neck disability, finding that the evidence did not establish a current disability or link to service.,Service treatment records from the appellant's Marine Corps service were negative for complaints or abnormalities pertaining to the back or neck. The VA medical records do not show any chronic conditions related to these disabilities.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a lumbar spine disorder is granted. The Board also remanded the issue of rating higher than 10 percent for COPD.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for a low back condition and a respiratory condition are being remanded due to incomplete development. The Board requested additional medical opinions regarding the etiology of these conditions, particularly in light of potential exposure to radio frequency radiation during service.

The Veteran's service-connected herniated disc disease, L4-L5, with adjacent level disease at L3-L4 status post laminectomy and fusion L3-L5, right lower extremity radiculopathy, left lower extremity radiculopathy, surgical scars of the lumbar spine, bilateral knee disabilities are all remanded for further evaluation.,The Veteran's service-connected major depressive disorder, recurrent episode, moderate, with generalized anxiety disorder is also remanded for further evaluation.

The Veteran's service connection claim for bilateral hearing loss is denied as there is no evidence of in-service noise exposure or a current disability related to service.,The Veteran's service connection claim for migraine headaches is remanded due to inadequate reasoning and lack of consideration of lay statements regarding increase in severity and continuity.,The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for post-hydrocelectomy hydrocele, lumbar spine disabilities from May 29, 2018 and January 29, 2020 are remanded due to inadequate reasoning and failure to consider evidence of worsening since the last examination.,The Veteran's service connection claim for migraine headaches is denied as there is no evidence of in-service noise exposure or a current disability related to service.

The Veteran's lumbar spine degenerative arthritis is rated at 40 percent, but no higher. The Veteran's left lumbar radiculopathy is rated at 20 percent from June 16, 2017, and denied for a rating in excess of 20 percent.

The Veteran's appeals for pseudofolliculitis barbae, right pelvic bone disorder, and neck disorder have been dismissed.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral hand disorder has been reopened due to new evidence submitted since the August 2014 rating decision.

The Board has remanded the case for an addendum opinion to address whether the Veteran's back disorder is related to his military service, specifically his rappelling injury in 1990.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient addressing of the June 2011 VA examination's deficiencies, specifically regarding range of motion estimates for flare-ups and repetitive use.

The Veteran's application to reopen the previously denied claim of entitlement to service connection for sleep apnea has been granted. The Board has also remanded the cases for additional development and examination.