Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Board has remanded the cases for additional examinations and opinions to determine if the Veteran's neck and back conditions are related to his service-connected TMJ disability or due to his National Guard service.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining an adequate medical opinion regarding functional loss due to pain on flare-ups and scheduling a new VA examination of the Veteran's low back.

The Veteran's low back disability is rated at a 20 percent, effective from the date of the decision. The ratings for right knee flexion limitation and extension are denied. A TDIU has been granted.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment since April 30, 2004. A total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) is granted effective from that date.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU were denied. The back disability was rated at 20 percent, the right knee disability at 10 percent, and the left shoulder disability at 20 percent from December 2, 2018. Headaches were not rated as compensable prior to January 31, 2020, but a rating of 30 percent was granted thereafter. TDIU was denied.

The Veteran's left lower extremity radiculopathy is rated at 20 percent from May 18, 2009. The Board has remanded the issues of entitlement to a disability rating in excess of 20 percent for degenerative disc disease and TDIU.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to a scheduling error for his requested Decision Review Officer hearing, and requests for additional VA and private treatment records.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and development of records.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to address the Veteran's claims for service connection for cervical and lumbar spine disabilities due to incomplete or inaccurate factual premises in previous VA examination opinions. The Veteran will be provided with another VA examination to assess the nature and etiology of her diagnosed conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional VA treatment records from 1981 to 2007. The effective date of the sciatica rating remains March 7, 2005.

The Board has remanded the cases due to concerns about the adequacy of VA examinations and the need for additional development regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's low back condition and left hip condition.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD with anxiety and depressed mood, is rated at 50 percent. The Board found that a higher rating was not warranted.,The Veteran’s TDIU claim has been remanded due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has granted service connection for left and right knee disabilities as secondary to bilateral pes planus, and for a low back disability as secondary to bilateral pes planus. The claim of service connection for a cervical spine disability is denied. Service connection for a respiratory disability is reopened.

The Board has remanded the claims due to unclear medical evidence regarding whether the Veteran's current lumbar spine and left knee disorders are related to service. Clarification is needed from VA clinicians.

The Board has denied service connection for various disabilities, including right wrist, left wrist, neck, right shoulder, and back conditions, finding that the evidence does not support a link between these conditions and military service.

The Board denied service connection for a left hip disability, to include as secondary to service-connected disabilities. It also denied initial and increased ratings for lumbar spine strain and left ankle sprain. The case was remanded for further development regarding bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has remanded the claims for B cell lymphoma, left knee degenerative arthritis, right knee degenerative arthritis, right hip disability, and chronic low back disability with degenerative joint disease due to secondary service-connected left hip disability. The VA is required to obtain Social Security Administration records and provide additional medical opinions regarding the relationship of these conditions to service.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for a VA examination to determine if the Veteran's back condition is related to service, including his in-service symptoms and post-service progression.

The Veteran's degenerative joint disease of the thoracolumbar spine is rated at 20 percent as of April 2016, with no higher rating granted.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for lumbar degenerative disc disease, cervical degenerative disc disease, left and right lower extremity radiculopathy have all been granted.