Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Board has found that the evidence is not sufficient to resolve the Veteran's claim for service connection for headaches, and remanded the case for further development.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's lumbar spine condition, finding it is at least as likely as not due to his active-duty service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a low back disability, finding that it is not related to his service or service-connected right knee disability. The evidence does not support a secondary service connection as the current low back disability is more likely due to aging and mechanical stress from his occupation.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for degenerative disc and joint disease, finding that there is no evidence of a chronic condition in service or within one year after discharge. The Board concluded that the current diagnosis was more likely related to the Veteran's work as a letter carrier post-service.

The Veteran's low back strain is granted a 20 percent rating from February 11, 2014 to December 18, 2019. A higher rating for the period beyond this date is denied.

The Veteran was granted a TDIU rating for the period from October 1, 2014 to December 20, 2016 due to his service-connected low back disability and psychiatric disability.

The Veteran's claim for an initial disability rating in excess of 20 percent for thoracolumbar spine degenerative joint disease was denied as the evidence did not show that his range of motion met the criteria for a higher rating under VA regulations.

The Board has decided to remand the claim of service connection for low back pain due to inadequate medical opinion and need for further examination.

The Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine disability, radiculopathy of the left lower extremity, and radiculopathy of the right lower extremity are remanded for further evaluation due to worsening symptoms.

The Board denied the claim for TDIU prior to May 25, 2017 due to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities not precluding substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for lumbar and cervical spine disabilities have been reopened, but the Board has decided to remand these issues back to the RO for further consideration on their merits.

The Board denied service connection for back and neck disabilities, finding no evidence of such conditions during active duty or chronic symptoms with onset in service.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for lumbar spine, left knee, and left leg disabilities due to missing service treatment records. The Veteran contends that he injured his knees and legs while playing basketball during service.

The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating for his service-connected degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine has been dismissed as he withdrew his appeal prior to a decision being made.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for memory loss disorder and back disorder due to inadequate rationale in previous decisions, lack of VA examinations addressing concerns raised by a Joint Motion for Partial Remand (JMPR), and failure to provide adequate notice of scheduled VA examinations.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining a retrospective medical opinion and addressing whether referral for extraschedular consideration is warranted based on the Veteran's use of a cane and brace.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings of his service-connected lumbar spine disability and radiculopathy, left lower extremity are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examination. The TDIU claim is also deferred until further notice.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty to assist error and failure to comply with prior remands. The examiner must address whether service-connected disabilities caused obesity, which then led to type 2 diabetes mellitus and death.

The Veteran's arthritis of the lumbar spine is granted a 40 percent rating effective March 12, 2010. The TDIU claim is remanded.

The Board denied service connection for lumbar-spine, cervical-spine, and left-knee disorders due to a lack of evidence showing these conditions were incurred during active service.