Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, major depressive disorder, alcohol use disorder, and gambling disorder, are sufficient to render him unemployable without regard to his age or any nonservice-connected disorders. The Board has granted TDIU.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development, including obtaining an addendum opinion regarding whether his current acquired psychiatric disorder and cervical spine disability are related to service.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for left and right knee disabilities, as well as a lumbar spine disability prior to October 10, 2018, are denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support an increase in rating beyond 10 percent.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities preclude him from obtaining or maintaining gainful employment, and a TDIU is granted from September 28, 2010 to June 30, 2015.

The Board has denied a higher evaluation for lumbosacral strain rated at 20 percent from April 20, 2009; 10 percent from March 1, 2011; and 20 percent from January 5, 2018.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for various conditions, including degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, flat feet with inflammation, a right wrist condition, carpal tunnel syndrome, and sleep apnea. The case is being returned to VA for additional development.

The Veteran's disability ratings for his back condition have been denied as they do not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for COPD, chronic pleural effusion and fibrosis, residuals of malaria, a back disability, and hypertension due to presumed herbicide exposure during service. The Veteran is not precluded from establishing service connection with proof of direct causation.

The Board has found that another remand is necessary to ensure compliance with its previous remand instructions for VA examinations related to the Veteran's service connection claims.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the Veteran's low back disability and its relation to service. The Veteran will need a new VA examination to provide more detailed rationale for his claims.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including low back condition, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and tinnitus, rendered him unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment as of September 9, 2014. The effective date for the TDIU is set at this date.

The Board has remanded the case for an addendum opinion regarding whether the Veteran's lower extremity peripheral neuropathy is at least as likely as not related to conceded herbicide exposure during service in Vietnam.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine is proximately due to his service-connected bilateral knee disabilities, and thus grants service connection for this condition as secondary.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings and TDIU were denied. The decision found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss did not warrant a compensable rating, while his low back strain with degenerative changes was rated at 20 percent from May 1, 2007. The Veteran's claim for TDIU prior to November 6, 2013, was also denied.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations to assess the severity of his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for cervical, back, and right hip disorders due to additional development being required. The claims will be reviewed again with consideration of new evidence and in-service incidents.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for service connection for multilevel degenerative disc disease and degenerative joint disease with radiculopathy due to inadequate reasoning in the previous VA medical opinion. The case is being sent back for a new addendum opinion from an orthopedic specialist.

The Board has granted service connection for a low back disability but denied service connection for a left hand disability.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's claims for service connection of TBI, low back condition, and neck condition due to his withdrawal of these claims during a hearing.

The claim to reopen the service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder is granted. The claims to reopen for bilateral knee disability and sleep apnea are denied. Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder is established, but not for bilateral knee or sleep apnea. An increased rating of 40 percent for a back disability is granted.