Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded due to a lack of sufficient competent medical evidence to decide the claim, and an examination is required.

The Veteran's PTSD is granted a 100% disability rating effective May 29, 2015. The lower back condition and hypertension are not service-connected.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to his service-connected disabilities not precluding him from securing and following substantially gainful employment.

The Board has remanded the case due to conflicting VA opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's back disabilities. The examiner is required to provide an opinion on whether it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran’s back disability, including various diagnoses, is related to his military service.

The Board found no evidence linking the Veteran's current cervical spine disability to his service, including a motor vehicle accident in 1981. The examiner concluded that the Veteran's condition is more likely due to a civilian injury in 1993.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient development of evidence regarding the Veteran's reported erectile dysfunction (ED) and its relationship to his service-connected low back disability.

The Veteran's service-connected degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine is currently rated at 10%.,Entitlement to increased ratings for fibromyalgia and CFS remains pending, with remand required for further evaluation.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his lumbar spine disability and right lower extremity radiculopathy due to deficiencies in the VA examinations of record. The case is being returned for further development.

The Veteran's hypertension, erectile dysfunction, back disability, and neck disability were not incurred or aggravated by service, including exposure to Agent Orange.,Service connection was denied for all four conditions.

The Veteran's lumbar spine DJD also diagnosed as IVDS was rated at 20 percent prior to June 30, 2010 and increased to 40 percent from January 9, 2013 to March 20, 2014. The appeal is remanded for further evaluation of the condition.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment, warranting a TDIU.

The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of information regarding the Veteran's employment status, specifically missing forms for his application for increased compensation based on unemployability and requests for verification from his prior employers. The Veteran needs to complete these forms and provide the requested information.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete compliance with previous directives and new evidence is needed. The issues include left shoulder, left knee, right knee, low back, and sciatica (left side) disorders.

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to lack of evidence linking the condition to service.,Service connection is granted for hypertension, as it was diagnosed within one year of separation from service and presumed related to service.

The appeal for service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities is dismissed. The issues of polycythemia, heart disability, back disability (including arthritis due to trauma and degenerative arthritis), and sleep apnea are remanded.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for thoracic spine DDD, cervical spine DDD, and headaches due to inadequate VA examination reports. Further development is needed to comply with VA's duty to assist in fully developing the facts and evidence concerning these claims.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including asthma, ulcer (claimed as an ulcer of the antrum), chest pain, bunions with hammertoes in both feet, lumbar spine disorder, hypertension, and defective vision. The Board found that these conditions did not have their onset during active duty or were not related to any injury sustained during service.

The Veteran's service-connected low back disability and associated sciatic radiculopathy have been rated, with some adjustments. The claim for a higher rating is denied prior to December 11, 2019, but granted beginning from that date.

The Veteran's TDIU claim was part of his initial increased rating claims for lumbar spine osteoarthritis, PTSD, and radiculopathy. The Board found that the TDIU issue was valid and granted it based on service-connected disabilities.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for a lumbar spine disability, including degenerative disc disease. The new evidence received since the April 1992 denial supports the nexus between the Veteran's current condition and his military service.