Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right knee, left knee, and lower back conditions due to a lack of evidence showing these conditions began during active service or are related to an in-service injury.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for depression, an acquired psychiatric disability, a low back disability, and a right hand disability. The claim to reopen service connection for depression is also granted.

The Board has remanded the cases due to insufficient rationale in the previous VA examination regarding the relationship between the Veteran's claimed disabilities and his service-connected right femur fracture residuals and right knee disability.

The Veteran is granted SMC at the housebound rate and TDIU on an extraschedular basis prior to December 27, 2017 due to service-connected disabilities including schizoaffective disorder, lumbosacral degenerative disc disease, and left knee disability.

The Veteran's claim for service connection was reopened due to the submission of new and material evidence. Service connection is granted for PTSD, headaches, and essential tremors of both hands. The Veteran is also granted a TDIU effective from January 23, 2013.

The Board dismissed the appeals for increased ratings of anxiety disorder and lumbar spine disability as the appellant withdrew his appeals prior to a decision being made.

The Board has remanded the case due to lack of substantial compliance with previous remand directives, and an addendum opinion is needed regarding the etiology of the Veteran's erectile dysfunction.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to issues with right and left lower extremity radiculopathy.

The Board has remanded the case for further development to obtain new medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's current low back disability was caused or aggravated by his service-connected hip or knee disabilities, and radiation used to treat his prostate cancer.

The Board has dismissed all the claims related to service connection and increased disability ratings, as well as the TDIU claim due to the Veteran's death.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and the Board has granted a TDIU on an extraschedular basis.

The Board denied service connection for a back disability, thyroid condition, obstructive sleep apnea, and GERD. The reasons given were that the evidence did not establish a nexus between these conditions and active service.,Service connection was not granted because there was no chronic disease shown during service or within presumptive periods, and continuity of symptomatology was not established.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection and compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 due to ongoing issues with obtaining VA treatment records from Cincinnati VAMC related to his April 1969 pilonidal cyst excision, as well as a need for an adequate medical examination.

The Board denied attorney fees as the attorney did not represent the Veteran during the phase of the appeal when he sought increased ratings for his service-connected low back disability and separate ratings for pain and paresthesia in his bilateral lower extremities, as well as entitlement to a TDIU.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and review, including addressing issues related to restoration of payments, effective dates for ratings, and service connection for radiculopathy. The Veteran's TDIU claim is also being remanded.

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain additional opinions regarding the Veteran's low back disorder and his claimed sexual dysfunction. The claims for service connection are being remanded due to insufficient analysis in previous decisions.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for further development due to concerns about the qualifications of the VA examiners who provided the most recent examination reports. The Veteran's service connection claims related to bilateral shoulder, cervical spine, thoracolumbar spine, and left foot disorders are being returned to the AOJ for additional development.

The Veteran's heart condition and hypertension were not incurred in service, nor are they related to his military service.,Right ear SNHL was not incurred in service or due to exposure to herbicides. The Veteran's low back condition, erectile dysfunction, diabetes mellitus, type II, varicose veins, peripheral vascular disease, and peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities were also not related to his military service.

The Board has determined that further development is needed for the Veteran's claims of increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar strain and right knee patellofemoral syndrome. The Veteran will be scheduled for new VA examinations to assess the current nature, extent, and severity of these disabilities.

The Veteran's radiculopathy of the left upper extremity was denied an initial rating in excess of 20 percent prior to February 4, 2020 and a rating in excess of 40 percent thereafter.,For his degenerative disc disease of lumbar spine, he was denied an initial rating in excess of 10 percent prior to August 26, 2013 and a rating in excess of 40 percent from that date onwards.