Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for new VA examinations and opinions regarding his PTSD, hearing loss, tinnitus, and back condition. The claims are not about service connection via a presumption like PACT Act/Agent Orange/Camp Lejeune.

The Veteran's DDD of the thoracic spine is granted as a result of it manifesting to a degree of at least 10% within one year of service separation, and he had active service for more than 90 days. The T-8 fracture preexisted service but did not aggravate during service.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence in the service treatment records and a need for a new VA examination to determine if the Veteran's current back disability is related to her service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, lumbar spine disorder, and cervical spine disorder due to a lack of VA treatment records from after service discharge. The Veteran testified that his symptoms began shortly after service discharge.

The Veteran's lumbosacral strain and left foot reflex sympathetic dystrophy were both denied increased ratings.,Both conditions are currently rated at 10 percent, effective April 24, 2008.

The Veteran's DJD of the lumbar spine is currently rated at 20 percent, effective March 14, 2013. The Board denied a higher rating as his forward flexion was limited to 85 degrees and his combined range of motion for the thoracolumbar spine was limited to 205 degrees, which does not meet the criteria for a 40 percent rating (which requires limitation of flexion to 30 degrees or favorable ankylosis).

The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for his low back disability is dismissed because the Veteran died during the pendency of the appeal.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical evidence regarding the Veteran's back disability, specifically his service connection claim. The VA will need to provide an additional opinion from a clinician.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to obtain or maintain substantially gainful employment since April 20, 2015. The Board finds the evidence of record provides a foundational basis to refer the matter for extraschedular consideration because the evidence suggests that the Veteran’s service-connected back and cervical disabilities may have prevented substantially gainful employment prior to April 20, 2015.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including mechanical low back pain, knee conditions, and radiculopathy, render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a low back disability, finding that there was no evidence linking his current condition to his active duty service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to deficiencies in prior examinations and incomplete medical records.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for neck disability and thoracolumbar spine disc bulge due to insufficient medical opinions regarding service connection.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a finding of total disability based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to service-connected disabilities, as there is no evidence showing that his employment status is related to any service-connected disability.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient consideration of the Veteran's claim that his thoracolumbar spine disability is related to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune during service.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to issues with her bilateral plantar fasciitis and low back disability. The case will be further developed before a decision can be made.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral foot disorder to include plantar fasciitis and low back disorder, finding that the current disabilities are not related to any disease or injury incurred during active duty for training (ACDUTRA) in line of duty or inactive duty for training (INACDUTRA) in line of duty while in the United States Naval Reserves.

The Board has denied service connection for headaches, back condition, neck condition, and left shoulder condition as there is no evidence of chronicity in service or continuity of symptomatology since service.

The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate VA examination in 2017, and a new opinion is required.

The Board has remanded the issues of entitlement to increased ratings for the Veteran's spine disability and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy due to unresolved development needs. The appeal is not about service connection, but rather rating determinations.