Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and low back disability due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical opinions and VA treatment records.

The Board has remanded the claims for further development due to new evidence being added to the record.

The Board has granted service connection for left elbow disability, lumbar spine disability, and left fifth finger disability. The Veteran's current symptoms are related to his in-service injuries.,Service connection is denied for a right wrist disorder due to the lack of evidence linking it to active duty service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for lumbosacral strain and left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome, as these conditions are claimed to be related to her right knee disability. The VA will provide additional medical opinions regarding the etiology of these disabilities.

The Veteran's appeals for increased disability ratings and TDIU have been withdrawn.,The Veteran's appeal for a TDIU prior to April 23, 2018 has also been withdrawn. The Board is remanding the claims of service connection for hypertension and sleep apnea secondary to PTSD due to inadequate opinions in previous VA examinations.,,

Your appeal of the denial of service connection for a low back disability has been dismissed because it was previously decided by the Board in July 2020.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and initial ratings were denied. The case was remanded for further development, including a TDIU claim.

The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings for RLE lumbar radiculopathy has been dismissed as the Veteran opted into the modernized review system under the Appeals Modernization Act (AMA).

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and earlier effective dates are remanded due to the need for additional examinations. The Board will consider all issues when readjudicating these matters.

The Board has remanded three issues related to the Veteran's service-connected cervical spine disability, including evaluations for DDD with IVDS and associated neurological abnormalities. The remand requires obtaining VA treatment records from VistA, BAMC, and private providers, as well as obtaining retrospective medical opinions regarding the severity of the disabilities prior to January 2020.

The Board has remanded the issues of entitlement to increased ratings for a neck condition due to insufficient examination reports and lack of information regarding flare-ups.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to new evidence added since the last decision and an inadequate medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's neck condition.

The Board has remanded the cases for obtaining updated VA treatment records and scanned chiropractic fee-basis/non-VA care records.

The claim for service connection for a mid-back disability is dismissed. The claim for service connection for tinnitus is denied, and the claim for an increased rating in excess of 10 percent prior to May 2, 2019, and from July 1, 2019, for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine is remanded.

The Veteran's post-operative tear of the right wrist with a sprain and tendonitis has been characterized by pain that causes functional loss, resulting in a denial of a rating in excess of 10 percent.,The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is remanded for further examination to determine its current severity.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not render him incapable of employment prior to December 17, 2013. The Board denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) on an extraschedular basis.

The Veteran's neck disability and back disability are rated at 20 percent, but no higher. Service connection for lumbar degenerative joint disease and radiculopathy is granted.

The Veteran's back disability, including thoracic spine degenerative arthritis and lumbar strain, is rated at 40 percent disabling as of October 15, 2020. The appeal for higher ratings prior to that date has been denied.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinion and failure to provide adequate reasons and bases for the decision. The Veteran's lumbar spine disorder is being remanded for a new VA examination.

The Board denied service connection for a low back disorder and a respiratory condition, to include bronchitis and COPD, finding no evidence of in-service injury or disease that caused current disabilities.,Service connection was not granted as the Veteran's conditions are considered to be due to natural progression over time rather than an event, injury, or disease incurred during service.