Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and examination, including for opinions on service connection for low back and left knee disabilities, as well as coronary artery disease. The claims are not about exposure to burn pits, Agent Orange, Camp Lejeune, radiation, Gulf War, or any other specific exposure.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for right knee and low back disabilities due to insufficient rationale in the July 2020 VA medical opinions. The matter is being returned for further development.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is granted due to his service-connected disabilities, which have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's TDIU claim due to unclear reasons for denying his service-connected disabilities and failure to adequately explain why he was not considered unemployable. The appeal period began before a rating increase, so evidence up to one year prior is considered.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral arm disability, back disability, and disfiguring scar of the forehead as there was no evidence linking these conditions to service or any presumptive exposure.

The Veteran's cervical spine disability is rated at 30 percent, and he has been granted a TDIU since July 25, 2015. The Board found that the evidence does not warrant a higher rating for his cervical spine disability.

The Board has remanded the case due to errors in assessing the severity of the Veteran's headaches prior to March 30, 2015 and during flare-ups. The Veteran is still seeking an initial compensable rating for his cervicogenic headaches.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a lumbar spine disability is granted, as new and material evidence has been received to reopen the previously denied claim.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and to obtain additional medical opinions regarding the Veteran's lumbar spine disability and GERD.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation since October 1, 2012.

The Veteran's hypertension, cervical spine disability, bilateral knee disabilities, and upper extremity radiculopathy are all remanded for further development.

The Veteran's tinnitus is rated at its maximum schedular rating of 10 percent.,Service connection for left lower extremity radiculopathy and midline lumbar surgical scar have been granted effective June 23, 2015.

The Board denied the claims for service connection for lumbar spine disability and sciatica, to include as due to lumbar spine disability. The evidence did not support a finding of direct service connection or secondary service connection.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for lumbar spine degenerative disc disease was granted with an effective date of July 11, 2008. The Board found that the proper effective date is based on when the Veteran filed his application for pension, which he later confirmed was based on a claim for in-service back injury.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development to determine the nature and etiology of her claimed conditions, including headaches, TBI, GI disability, back disability, and left shoulder disability. The Board will also review the claims file to ensure that all necessary actions have been taken.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for cervical strain, degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine, left and right lower extremity radiculopathy, and TDIU due to ongoing issues with scheduling VA examinations.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for left ankle, low back, and left knee disorders secondary to a right ankle sprain due to potential causation or aggravation by altered biomechanics. The Veteran's current diagnoses include osteophytic spurring of the left ankle, lumbar degenerative joint disease/degenerative disc disease, and chondromalacia patella syndrome with degenerative joint disease and left knee sprain.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for lumbar spine disability and bilateral hearing loss due to the Veteran's death.

The Board has determined that the VA examinations and opinions provided were not in compliance with previous remand directives, and thus the claims for service connection are being returned to the agency of original jurisdiction (AOJ) for further development.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for osteoporosis, fibromyalgia, left shoulder disability, right shoulder disability, low back disability, left leg stress fracture, right leg stress fracture, left foot stress fracture, and right foot stress fracture. The reasons given were that there was no current evidence of these conditions.,The Board also denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disability, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as remanded by the July 2018 decision.