Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for right knee and back disabilities due to secondary service-connected bilateral hip, left knee, and left ankle disabilities. The VA examiner needs to provide an addendum opinion addressing continuity of symptomatology and causation/aggravation.

The Board has denied an increased disability evaluation for lumbar spine degenerative arthritis with IVDS and remanded the issues of higher evaluations for right and left lower sciatica, as well as the TDIU claim.

The Veteran's claims for service connection of various conditions, including heart disability, chronic kidney disease, respiratory disorder, back disability, thyroid disability, diabetes mellitus, and neuropathy are remanded due to the need for further development regarding exposure to ionizing radiation in service.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for a back disability, but has remanded both the back and neck disability claims due to the need for additional development.

The Veteran's major depressive disorder is related to active service and has been granted. The lower back condition and right shoulder condition are remanded for further review.

The Veteran's claims for right and left foot hammertoes, flat feet, and low back disability are remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right knee condition, left knee condition, back condition, acquired psychiatric disorder, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).,There is no evidence of any diagnosed conditions related to these issues during or after the appeal period.

The Board has granted service connection for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine and cervical spine, finding that there is at least equipoise evidence to support these claims.

The Board has determined that new and relevant evidence has been presented to warrant readjudication of the claims for service connection for lumbar spine disability, right lower extremity radiculopathy, and left lower extremity radiculopathy. The claims are now REMANDED due to a duty to assist error.

The Veteran's appeal was granted for an effective date of September 29, 2017, and the assignment of a temporary total rating based on thoracolumbar spine surgery with severe postoperative residuals. The extension of this rating through August 7, 2018, and entitlement to SMC based upon statutory housebound status were also granted.

The Board has granted service connection for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine and cervical spine, finding that the evidence is in relative equipoise as to whether these conditions are related to active service.

The Board denied service connection for degenerative disc disease, bilateral L5 spondylosis and its secondary radiculopathy in both legs due to lack of evidence linking the current conditions to military service.

The Board has remanded the claims for hypertension, BPH, cervical spine disorder, lumbar spine disorder, bilateral hip disorders, neuropathies of any extremities, glaucoma and cataracts, and heart disorder due to inadequate examination opinions that did not consider the Veteran's work as a combat engineer in service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his knee disabilities and service connection for a low back disorder and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to procedural errors in previous decisions.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for lumbosacral strain was denied, as the evidence did not show limitation of motion more nearly approximating forward flexion of the thoracolumbar spine greater than 30 degrees but not greater than 60 degrees or the combined range of motion of the thoracolumbar spine not greater than 120 degrees.,The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for a 50 percent disability rating for PTSD, TBI with persistent depressive disorder and anxious distress was denied because the evidence did not show that a factually ascertainable increase in disability due to service-connected conditions occurred within one year prior to his formal increased rating claim.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have prevented him from securing and maintaining substantially gainful employment, warranting a TDIU.

The Board has remanded the claims for low back disability and bilateral upper extremity peripheral neuropathy due to insufficient rationale in the previous VA opinions. The Veteran's service connection claim is being reviewed again with new medical opinions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increases in ratings for his low back disability, right and left lower extremity radiculopathy due to incomplete compliance with prior remands. The case will be returned after further development.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral open angle glaucoma, bilateral cataracts, kidney disability, heart disability, right hip disability, and left hip disability. Service connection was granted for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to June 26, 2012 for the grant of service connection for a lumbar spine disability has been denied.,The Veteran's claim for increased rating for his lumbar spine disability is remanded due to alleged worsening since the last VA examination in June 2019 and failure to describe probable additional losses in functionality during flare-ups.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for a cervical spine disability, secondary to his service-connected lumbar spine disability, has been raised.