Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for acne and granted it. The case of service connection for tinnitus is remanded due to inadequate opinion regarding noise exposure in-service. Service connection for hearing loss and lumbar spine disability are also remanded.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's back disability is caused or aggravated by his service-connected plantar fasciitis.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood, acne with residual scarring, sleep apnea, tension headaches, left shoulder rotator cuff tendonitis, left knee degenerative joint disease, right shoulder tendinitis, lumbosacral spine degenerative arthritis, chronic right ankle strain, bilateral pes planus, right great toe injury, hypertension, left and right knee instability, and traumatic brain injury, have rendered him unable to maintain substantially gainful employment since June 11, 2012.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for lumbosacral degenerative disc disease, finding that there was no evidence of a current disability related to military service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for lumbar spine, left shoulder, and left hip disabilities due to insufficient reasons and bases in the September 2019 decision. The case is being returned for further development.

The Board has granted an initial 40 percent disability rating for degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine, effective from May 24, 2018. The decision is based on new evidence introduced in October 2018.

The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of a supplemental statement of the case (SSOC) after an addendum opinion was obtained. The claim will be readjudicated and a new SSOC will be issued.

The Veteran's back disability was rated at 10 percent from August 31, 2009, to February 18, 2010, and May 1, 2010, to October 9, 2019. After October 9, 2019, the Veteran's disability was rated at 20 percent.,The Veteran is seeking a higher rating for his back disability after October 9, 2019.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevent her from securing or following substantially gainful employment prior to March 14, 2016.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are of sufficient severity to produce unemployability prior to October 7, 2020. The Board finds that the evidence supports a finding of TDIU prior to this date and grants the claim.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a respiratory condition, residuals of malaria, back disability, and hypertension. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred in or related to service.

The Veteran's service-connected left knee, lumbar spine, and related disabilities precluded him from securing or following substantially gainful employment as of July 14, 2011. The case is remanded for further development regarding TDIU prior to that date.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's back disability may be related to service, but needs further examination and opinion.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for a TDIU rating as they are not severe enough to prevent him from securing or following substantially gainful employment.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to an inadequate examination in the previous decision, and a new opinion is needed that considers the Veteran's lay assertions regarding his low back condition.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability, including degenerative arthritis and intervertebral disc syndrome, was shown to be present within one year of his separation from service. The Board granted service connection for this condition.

The Board has granted service connection for a lumbar spine disability and an acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that the Veteran's conditions are related to his in-service injury and his existing service-connected condition.

The Veteran's combined service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation, but his right ankle disability does not warrant an extraschedular rating. The claims for sleep apnea and entitlement to an extraschedular TDIU are remanded.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities, including back, bilateral hip, right and left knee, and bilateral hand disabilities. The reasons include insufficient evidence to determine the etiology of these conditions.