Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Board has remanded the cases of lower back disability and left knee disability for further examination and opinion regarding service connection.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for DDD of the cervical spine, arthritis of the left knee, and arthritis of the right knee as secondary to his service-connected left tibia injury.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and remanded the issues of entitlement to an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for a lumbar spine disability, to include on an extraschedular basis pursuant to 38 C.F.R. § 3.321(b).

The Veteran's lumbar spine degenerative joint disease and coccyx fracture have been rated at 20% prior to September 3, 2019. From that date, a higher rating of 40% is granted. The right hip condition remains remanded for further development.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a low back disability, finding that it was not incurred or aggravated by service and is unrelated to his service-connected pilonidal cyst.

The Board has denied service connection for low back and neck disorders, finding that the evidence does not support a finding of in-service injury or disease. The Board also remanded issues regarding right and left knee disorders due to lack of verification of duty status during a period when the appellant was treated for bilateral knee injuries.,The decision on right and left knee disorders is pending as it has been remanded.

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral shoulder disability and low back disability. The Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral restless leg syndrome, peripheral polyneuropathy, and plantar fasciitis are remanded.,Service connection is not granted for the Veteran’s claimed conditions as there is no evidence of a nexus to service or continuity of symptomatology.

The Board denied service connection for ear, low back, right ankle, and right foot disabilities due to a lack of evidence showing the conditions were incurred or aggravated during military service.

The Veteran's hypertension is currently rated at 10 percent and denied for a higher evaluation.,Service connection for low back, bilateral shoulder, and left elbow disorders are remanded due to inadequate VA examination opinions.,No service connection will be granted based on the provided evidence.,Further medical evaluations are needed to determine if these conditions are related to military service.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate medical opinions and a need for further development. The Veteran's claim of service connection for post-operative residuals of a lumbar spine injury is being reviewed.

The Board has denied the Veteran's secondary service connection claims for his right and left ankle disorders, low back disorder, right hip disorder, and left hip disorder as they are not caused or aggravated by his service-connected knee disabilities.

The Board has granted service connection for a thoracolumbar spine disability and denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder. The thoracolumbar spine disability is related to in-service findings, while the psychiatric disorder is not related to service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a cervical spine disability and TDIU due to service-connected disabilities. The case is being returned for further development, including obtaining additional medical records and providing an updated VA examination.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for arthritis of the spine and cervical spine degenerative arthritis, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's low back disability is rated at 40 percent from November 5, 2019. The appeal for higher ratings has been denied.

The Veteran's degenerative disc disease of the thoracolumbar spine and cervical spine have been granted disability evaluations of 40% and 30%, respectively, for the entire appeal period.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for an initial evaluation in excess of 20 percent for a lumbar spine disability and an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for right lower extremity radiculopathy, finding that the evidence did not meet the criteria for higher ratings based on limitation of motion or other manifestations.

The Veteran's appeal for a disability rating in excess of 20 percent for lumbar strain and the issue of entitlement to TDIU are both remanded due to duty to assist errors. The issues are inextricably intertwined, so only one can be decided at this time.

The Board has remanded the claims for lumbar spine disability, bilateral knee disabilities, and upper respiratory disability due to exposure to smoke and chemicals during service. The Veteran's contentions are that these conditions were caused or aggravated by his military service.

The Veteran's claim for an increased disability rating of 40 percent for a lumbar spine condition is granted. The Veteran's claim for TDIU is also granted.