Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Board denied service connection for heart attack, lower back disorder, right hip disorder, right foot disorder, left foot disorder, hypertension, and acquired psychiatric disorder. The appellant did not have a current disability of these conditions at the time of his claim.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for various disabilities, including lumbar spine, cervical spine, right hip, sleep disorder, hypertension, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and right lower extremity neuropathy. The AOJ is instructed to obtain medical opinions regarding these issues.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals regarding increased ratings for right knee strain, lumbar strain prior to March 11, 2016, and right hip strain.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a lumbar spine disability, finding no evidence of an in-service injury or disease and noting that there is no medical literature linking herbicide exposure to back disabilities.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his lumbar spine disability was denied. The claims for effective dates prior to April 25, 2005, and February 12, 2000, for PTSD and SMC at the housebound rate were also denied. An extraschedular evaluation based on combined effects of multiple service-connected disabilities is not available.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the schedular requirements for a TDIU, but his case is referred to the Director of Compensation Service for consideration as to whether he is unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation due to these conditions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection and initial ratings for his right hip and leg disability, cervical spine disability, and right great toe disability due to inadequate VA opinions and lack of sufficient evidence in the record.

The Veteran's claims for higher initial ratings for his low back and left foot disabilities are being remanded due to the need for new VA examinations, as well as consideration of recently amended rating criteria.

The Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine disability prevented him from securing and following substantially gainful employment from July 29, 2009 through June 9, 2011. The Board granted an extraschedular TDIU based on this condition.

The Veteran's claims for cervical spine, lumbar spine, and respiratory disabilities have been remanded due to the need for additional evidence.,New claims for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, tinnitus, acquired psychiatric disability (claimed as posttraumatic stress disorder with alcohol use dependence), heart disability (claimed as ischemic heart disease and/or residuals of stroke), hypertension, and TDIU are also being remanded.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a low back disability, finding that there is not sufficient evidence to establish that his current condition was incurred or aggravated during active duty.

The Veteran's lumbar spine condition, including radiculopathy, is granted service connection based on in-service injury. Service connection for generalized muscle and joint pain with morning stiffness is denied as not related to service.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims, including for Lyme disease residuals, low back arthritis, right knee arthritis, left knee arthritis, and left shoulder arthritis. The decision also includes a request for additional examination and opinion regarding these conditions.

The Board denied service connection for a low back disability as the evidence does not support that it began during active service or is otherwise related to an in-service injury or disease.

The Board has remanded the service connection claims for back disorder, stomach condition, basal cell carcinoma, and thyroid disorder due to presumed herbicide exposure in Vietnam. The VA is instructed to obtain an addendum or new medical opinion from file review to determine if these conditions are related to the Veteran's presumed herbicide exposure.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to the need for another VA examination to clarify the Veteran's range of motion and assess his current severity of lumbar spine disability.

The Board has remanded the claims for left knee, right knee, lumbar spine, and left hip conditions due to insufficient medical opinions in the July 2019 decision. The Veteran must provide additional medical evidence.

The Veteran's service-connected mechanical lumbar strain is being remanded to determine if the additional diagnoses of disc disease, sacroiliitis, left hip trochanteric bursitis, and bilateral radiculopathy are related to her service-connected condition.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and temporary total ratings are being remanded due to the failure of VA examinations.

The Board finds that further development is necessary to determine the Veteran's service connection claims for a low back condition and an acquired psychiatric disability.,Specifically, additional records from Loma Linda VAMC are needed to establish continuity of symptomatology.