Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Veteran's service-connected low back disability prevents him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment due to its severity. Effective August 30, 2017, the Veteran is granted special monthly compensation at the housebound rate.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate medical opinions and a need for further examination. The Veteran's back disability, including scoliosis, is being reviewed again.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a back disorder, finding that there is no evidence of an in-service injury or disease and that the current disability is not related to service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU due to incomplete development of evidence, including failure to address relevant DBQs and VA treatment records. The RO must obtain updated VA treatment records, conduct new examinations per Correia v. McDonald (2016) and Sharp v. Shulkin (2017), issue an adequate SSOC, and readjudicate the claims.

The Board has denied service connection for back problems and left knee degenerative joint disease (claimed as knee problem) due to lack of evidence linking the conditions to service. The case is being remanded for further examination.

The Board has granted service connection for lumbar DDD and COPD, finding that the evidence is at least in equipoise that these conditions are related to the Veteran's active duty service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a lumbar spine disorder, finding that it did not manifest during service and is unrelated to his right knee disability. The evidence showed minimal degenerative changes in the Veteran's back over time.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including his left shoulder disability and other conditions, rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment due to the severity of his disabilities. The Board found that he was unemployable from performing all forms of substantially gainful employment consistent with his education and occupational experience.

The Board has remanded the claims for further medical development due to inconsistencies in the VA examinations and failure to account for functional loss due to pain.

The Veteran is granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine with broad based bulge, L5-S1.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims for various shoulder, neck, and back disorders. The AOJ is required to obtain relevant medical records from Fitzsimons Army Medical Center and Tricare, schedule VA examinations to address the nature and etiology of the claimed conditions, and issue a Statement of Claim (SOC) regarding the issues of entitlement to service connection for neck and back disorders.

The Veteran's claim for SMC AA/HB is remanded due to insufficient medical evidence addressing her need for aid and attendance or housebound status based on service-connected disabilities alone.

The Board has granted service connection for athlete's foot and scar disabilities, but has remanded the cases of back disability, dental condition, chronic fatigue syndrome, and joint and muscle pain.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection of right hip and knee disabilities due to lack of sufficient evidence.

The Veteran's dizzy spells are considered manifestations of his service-connected migraine headaches and not a separate, distinct disability.,His low back disability is found to be etiologically related to his service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to service-connected disabilities, finding that his combined rating did not meet the schedular requirements and that he was not unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation as a result of his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's thoracolumbar strain was incurred in service, and the Board has granted service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and evaluations. The issues include his left knee, back condition, right hip condition, right foot condition, and sinusitis.

The Veteran's TDIU is denied as his date of entitlement to a schedular TDIU is March 31, 2018. The Board finds that the Veteran does not meet the economic component of a TDIU prior to March 30, 2018.

The Board denied service connection for a lumbar spine disability and a left knee disability, finding that the evidence did not support a link between these conditions and active duty service.