Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for left shoulder, lumbar spine, and cervical spine conditions due to a lack of evidence linking these conditions to his active military service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from securing or maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's claims for increased rating and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations.,Service connection for a right knee condition, back condition, bilateral hip condition (to include bursitis), hypertension, herniated disc neck, and nerve damage are also being remanded.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for neck and back disabilities, as well as his claim for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for his right knee disability. The TDIU issue is also being remanded due to unemployability raised by Social Security Administration records.

The Board has granted service connection for cervical DDD and RUE PN, but has remanded the issues of left shoulder disorder secondary to cervical DDD and hernia.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU), finding that his service-connected disabilities did not render him unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment. The evidence showed that his back, knee, and tinnitus disabilities caused some limitation but were already contemplated by his current ratings.

The Board has remanded the cases due to uncertainty regarding the Veteran's duty status during his National Guard service, which impacts his entitlement to service connection for left knee disability, low back disability, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for left foot, right foot, left knee, right knee, and back disabilities due to a lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed as he withdrew his appeals for increased ratings of left ankle and left knee disorders and service connection for a lumbosacral strain.

The Board has remanded the claims for further development due to new evidence received since the last Supplemental Statement of the Case. The Veteran's representative requested copies of the January 2019 and May 2021 examination reports.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a lumbar spine condition and bilateral pes planus due to inadequate and/or unclear VA examinations. The claims are being returned for further development.

The Veteran's migraine headaches are granted as secondary to the service-connected anxiety disorder. The lumbar spine and right hip disorders are denied due to lack of in-service onset or continuity of symptoms. Service connection for chronic hepatitis C is also denied.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings and TDIU related to his back disability is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining an MRI if deemed appropriate.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's low back disability, finding that it is related to his active service and meets the criteria for presumptive service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for right sacroiliac joint arthritis on a direct basis, finding that the condition is related to in-service symptoms of sacroiliitis and degenerative changes.

The Veteran's radiculopathy of the right and left sciatic nerves associated with his service-connected degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine is granted at a 40 percent evaluation, effective November 1, 2019.,The Veteran's initial claim for an increased rating for his degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine was previously remanded and remains on appeal.

The Board has determined that the claims for higher ratings for lumbar disc herniation with intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS) and right lower extremity radiculopathy, as well as the TDIU claim, are inextricably intertwined. Therefore, these issues must be remanded to allow for further development.

The Veteran's TDIU and DEA benefits are granted effective November 24, 2009 due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's right and left knee strains, as well as her asthma, were denied initial ratings in excess of 10 percent.,Her lumbar strain was granted an initial 20 percent rating.

The Board has denied service connection for left knee, shoulder, and low back disorders as they are not shown to be causally or etiologically related to any disease, injury, or incident during service.