Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for gallbladder condition, hiatal hernia, hypertension, and type II diabetes mellitus. The rating for lumbar spine disability was also denied. However, a separate 10 percent rating was granted for right lumbar radiculopathy, and a 70 percent rating was granted for adjustment disorder with anxiety and depressed mood.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient development of vocational rehabilitation and functional capacity evaluations, which were not provided by a vocational rehabilitation counselor as directed in the previous August 2019 remand. The Veteran's service-connected conditions include posttraumatic stress disorder, right lower extremity radiculopathy, lumbosacral strain, right hip osteoarthritis, gastroesophageal reflux disease, and several other disabilities.

The Board has determined that additional evidence is needed and remands the case for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records and conducting new examinations to address service connection claims.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his lumbar spine disability and associated radiculopathy. The case is remanded to obtain new examinations to assess the severity of the Veteran’s lower extremity radiculopathy.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to the need for an additional VA examination to determine if the Veteran's back condition is related to service.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection on the merits have been dismissed due to withdrawal of appeal. The claims for reopening were granted, and new evidence was submitted in support of these claims.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection on the merits have been dismissed due to their death.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient rationale in a previous VA opinion and the need for an addendum opinion from a different examiner.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection of various conditions, including left wrist radiocarpal disease, right wrist radiocarpal disease, right wrist tendonitis, hypertension, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), duodenitis, arthritis of the right foot, degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine, and left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy. The Board found that these conditions are not related to service or any presumptive exposure basis.

The Veteran's appeal for an increased disability rating for his lumbar spine disability is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims due to inadequate medical opinions. The main issues are about right knee, bilateral hand, Achilles tendonitis, left knee and foot disabilities, as well as lumbar spine and upper back disabilities.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for service connection for back condition and increased ratings for hearing loss and residuals fracture, right foot. As a result, the Board dismissed these issues.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings are being remanded due to the receipt of additional relevant evidence after a Supplemental Statement of the Case (SSOC) was issued. The SSOC must be furnished and the claims will be readjudicated with consideration of the new evidence.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension and degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine and lumbar spine, but denied service connection for bilateral lung disability and bilateral upper/lower extremity radiculopathy. The decision is remanded for further development in the case of a bilateral eye disability.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a lumbar spine disability and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, finding that there is no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and his active service.

The Veteran was found unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation prior to June 5, 2012 due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's neck disability, finding that it is related to his active duty service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional vocational rehabilitation training benefits to obtain a law degree and retroactive induction into a rehabilitation program for completion of a Bachelor of Science degree in construction management due to incomplete records and need for further evaluation.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection of hiatal hernia/GERD and lower back condition.,An earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for recurrent partial small bowel obstruction is denied.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including right hip replacement and lumbosacral strain, render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation. The Board grants TDIU effective October 1, 2017.