Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the Veteran's claims of service connection for various conditions, including TBI, neck disability, back disability, Parkinson's Disease, and an acquired psychiatric disorder. The claims are being remanded to allow for further examination and opinion regarding the etiology of these conditions.

The Board has determined that new evidence received since the final decisions of February 2002 and February 2012 warrants reconsideration of the Veteran's claims for service connection. The cases are being remanded to allow for further examination and opinion regarding the nature and etiology of any current disabilities.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD and major depressive disorder with insomnia, is granted.,Service connection for a lumbar spine disability is granted. Service connection for lower extremity radiculopathy (right foot numbness) is also granted.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for back and right hip disabilities, finding that they are less likely than not related to his service-connected conditions.,The evidence did not show a direct link between the Veteran's in-service injuries and his current disabilities.

The Veteran's lumbar stenosis with degenerative arthritis is rated at 40 percent from January 29, 2010 and granted a higher initial rating of 40 percent. The Veteran also received an increased disability rating for his sciatic nerve impairment of the right lower extremity (RLE) to 20 percent.

The Veteran's right knee disability and lumbar spine disorder are being remanded for further examination and opinion to determine the current severity of these conditions, as well as whether the right knee disability is aggravating the lumbar spine condition.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection of a back disability and denied the claim on the merits.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for a back disability and residuals of stroke due to insufficient evidence in the record, including unavailable STRs from his period of service in the U.S. Army.

The Veteran's low back disability, currently diagnosed as degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine, is granted service connection on a presumptive basis. The remaining issues are remanded for further development.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection and TDIU due to new information uncovered during previous development. Specifically, additional records from his back surgery in August 2020 need to be obtained.

The Veteran's lumbar DDD with IVDS is currently rated at 40 percent from January 28, 2020. The case is remanded for further development and adjudication.

The Veteran's rating for asymmetrical disc space narrowing of the lumbar spine is denied as it does not meet the criteria for a higher than 20 percent rating.,The Veteran's ratings for right and left ankle disabilities are also denied as they do not meet the criteria for a higher than 20 percent rating.

The Board denied a rating in excess of 40 percent for the Veteran's low back disability, finding that his symptoms did not meet criteria for ankylosis or incapacitating episodes of intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS). The Veteran was currently rated at 40 percent.

The Veteran's hypertension is granted as service connected due to herbicide exposure. The right knee and left knee disabilities are denied, with the Board finding no evidence of in-service injury or disease. The low back disability is also denied.

The Veteran's service-connected chronic lumbosacral strain with spasm is currently rated at 20 percent, and the appeal seeks a higher rating.,Separate ratings for left lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy associated with chronic lumbosacral strain are granted at 10 percent effective August 3, 2017.,Right lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy is rated at 20 percent from August 3, 2017.

The Veteran's right knee disability is granted as service connected. The issues of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, DJD of the lumbar spine, and a left knee disability are remanded.

The Board dismissed all appeals regarding the Veteran's claims for various conditions and ratings, as the Veteran died during the appeal process.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for lumbar spine disability and TDIU was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under any applicable diagnostic codes.

The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hip disabilities, low back disability, and right knee disability due to insufficient medical evidence addressing the relationship between these conditions and service-connected feet disabilities.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetic peripheral neuropathy, bilateral lower extremities, as there is no current diagnosis of this condition and it is not related to his service-connected diabetes mellitus.