Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Veteran's claims for service connection, an extraschedular rating, and TDIU have been dismissed due to his abandonment of the appeals process.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to a lack of VA treatment records and potential police reports. The Veteran is required to provide information about any private treatment she received, including physical therapy for her back from Pivot, and authorize VA to obtain these records.

The Board has granted service connection for left ankle, bilateral hip, and low back degenerative arthritis. The conditions are considered secondary to the Veteran's service-connected pes planus.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient medical opinions addressing the issue of aggravation of non-service-connected disabilities by service-connected knee disabilities.

The Veteran's right knee disability is granted service connection, but hypertension and other spine, hip, and ankle disabilities are not. The claims for cervical spine, lumbar spine, hip, and ankle disabilities, as well as the rating of left knee disability in excess of 10 percent, and entitlement to TDIU are remanded.

The Veteran's lumbosacral strain disability is currently rated at 40 percent since March 2, 2020. The Board denied a higher rating for the condition prior to that date and also denied separate ratings based on neurological manifestations.

The Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine degenerative disc disease and degenerative joint disease are currently rated at 20 percent, but the Board finds that this rating is not higher than what is warranted based on her current symptoms.

The Board has remanded the cases due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's back disability and bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome are related to service. Additional medical opinions are needed.

The Board has granted service connection for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, finding that it is related to a bad landing during military training. The claim was reopened due to new evidence submitted since the previous denial.

The Board dismissed the appeal due to the death of the appellant, and no merits decision was made.

The Veteran's lumbar strain and reactive airway disease have been granted a rating of 20 percent, but no more. The rating for reactive airway disease remains at 10 percent.

The Board has granted service connection for degenerative arthritis of the right elbow, left elbow, and thoracolumbar spine as part of a generalized arthritic process.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for his back disability and radiculopathy are remanded due to inadequate examination findings. The TDIU claim is also remanded as it is intertwined with the rating claims.

The Veteran's service connection claims for depression, anxiety, PTSD, low back condition, right hand condition, hypertension, and memory loss have been granted. The claim for increased disability rating in excess of 30 percent for right shoulder condition and increased initial disability rating for right knee condition remain denied.

The Board has dismissed all claims related to the Veteran's death, including service connection for low back disorder and hepatitis C, as well as rating and effective date issues for his depressive disorder with panic disorder.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to insufficient medical opinions regarding his exposure to Project SHAD and its associated toxins. The claims are now pending again with instructions to obtain addenda to the March 2021 examiner's opinions.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful employment consistent with his education and industrial background.

The Board has dismissed all service connection claims due to the Veteran's death.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his back disability is denied. The Board finds that the preponderance of evidence does not support a rating in excess of 20 percent for his lumbar spine disability. Additionally, compensable evaluations are granted for bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy effective December 8, 2015.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical evidence and a need for an examination. The Veteran's back disability is related to service, but his dextroscoliosis may be a congenital defect that was aggravated by service.