Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevented her from securing or following gainful employment for the period from August 14, 2007 to October 18, 2016. From October 18, 2016 to January 25, 2017, she had a combined disability rating of 100 percent and none of her disabilities alone rendered her unemployable.

The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, back disability, and bladder disorder due to insufficient evidence or inadequate opinions in the previous VA examination reports.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a low back disability, finding that there is no evidence of an in-service injury or disease and no continuity of symptomatology related to any such condition. The preponderance of the evidence does not support a finding that the current back disability began during active service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence regarding his periods of active duty, ACDUTRA and INACDUTRA. The Veteran is also required to undergo an updated examination for his chondromalacia, left knee with patellar tendonitis.

The Board has remanded the cases for further examinations to determine the current severity of the Veteran's left shoulder and low back disabilities, as the previous VA examination reports were not compliant with the February 2020 Board remand.

The Veteran's claims for effective dates prior to November 18, 2014 for service connection of chronic thoracolumbar strain with osteoarthritis and spolyoantheriolisthesis lumbar, associated radiculopathy of the right lower extremity, and associated radiculopathy of the left lower extremity were denied.,The Veteran's claims for effective dates prior to November 18, 2014 for service connection of radiculopathy of the right lower extremity were denied.,The Veteran's claims for effective dates prior to November 18, 2014 for service connection of radiculopathy of the left lower extremity were denied.

The Board has determined that there is not substantial compliance with its prior remand instructions and thus the appeal must be remanded again. The Veteran's lumbar spine disability, bilateral hearing loss, and acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD) claims are all remanded for further development.

The Veteran's claims for increased rating and service connection were denied. The right knee condition was rated at 10 percent, the lumbar spine degenerative arthritis claim was not granted due to lack of nexus, and the left sciatic nerve condition claim was also not granted as it is secondary to a non-service-connected disability.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings have been dismissed as he has withdrawn his claims.

The Veteran's cervical spine DDD is rated at 10 percent prior to July 29, 2016 and 20 percent thereafter. The rating for right shoulder strain was denied before July 26, 2016 and granted as of that date with a 30 percent rating. Ratings for left shoulder strain, limitation of flexion in the right knee, and limitation of flexion in the left knee were also denied.

The Veteran's appeals for increased rating and service connection have been dismissed due to his death. The Board has no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of these claims as he died during their pendency.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for low back and neck disabilities due to insufficient evidence regarding continuity of symptoms since service.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his service-connected lumbar spine condition was denied. A separate ratings were granted for right and left lower extremity radiculopathy, with the latter being restored to 20 percent effective December 6, 2019.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to inadequate VA opinions regarding the Veteran's claimed cervical spine and low back disabilities. The examiner is required to provide an opinion on whether it is at least as likely as not that these disabilities are related to service, considering the Veteran's in-service scooter accident and her MOS.

The Board has remanded the claim for service connection of a low back disability due to incomplete consideration of the Veteran's lay statements regarding his symptoms and the prior VA examinations.

The Board has granted service connection for cervical spine disability, low back disability, and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Service connection for Sjogren's syndrome with vitreous degeneration and punctate keratitis is remanded due to newly added evidence.

The Veteran's initial and higher evaluations for service-connected unspecified depressive disorder are granted, but the claims for other conditions remain pending.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate VA Back (Thoracolumbar Spine) examinations and a need for additional opinions regarding range of motion testing, flare-ups, and functional impairment.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a back disability and a left hand disability, finding that there was no evidence of a current diagnosis or a link to service-connected conditions.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings of COPD, lumbosacral strain with DJD, hypertension, and tinea pedis have been remanded due to the need for further development.