Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Veteran's lumbosacral spine disability is rated at 20 percent effective October 11, 2001. Effective February 27, 2003, separate ratings of noncompensable and 10 percent are assigned for intermittent bowel incontinence and intermittent bladder incontinence due to low back pain, respectively. Effective November 1, 2014, a 40 percent rating is granted for radiculopathy of the bilateral lower extremities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have erectile dysfunction or any other service-connected conditions. The reduction in disability ratings for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine and cubital/carpal tunnel syndromes, ulnar and median nerves, right wrist is found to be improper due to inadequate VA examination reports.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities preclude him from maintaining substantially gainful employment, and the Board has granted a total disability rating due to individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Board has remanded the claim for an increased rating for service-connected lumbar spine disability due to a failure to schedule the Veteran for a VA examination and obtain all outstanding records. The Veteran is notified that he may provide additional evidence, including private medical records.

The Board has remanded the issue of service connection for diabetes mellitus type II (DM II) due to its potential secondary nature to a service-connected lumbar spine disability.

The Board has decided to remand the cases for further development and examination, specifically regarding service connection for lumbar spine and bilateral knee disabilities, as well as a higher rating for uveitis, conjunctivitis, episcleritis with dry eyes.

The Veteran's service connection claims for bilateral hand burn injury, lower back condition to include bilateral leg pain, neck burn injury, and face burn injury are remanded due to the need for additional examinations.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and traumatic brain injury, but has remanded his claim for degenerative disc disease lumbar spine.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a back disability is being remanded due to incomplete records and the need to obtain inpatient hospitalization records from Fort Knox.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for lumbar spine, right leg, and left leg disorders has been reopened due to the submission of new evidence. The claims are now remanded for further evaluation.

The Board denied service connection for a low back disorder, finding that the Veteran's current conditions were not incurred in or caused by his period of active service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral knee disability and lower back (lumbar) disability due to insufficient medical evidence on file. The claims will be reviewed again after a VA examination is conducted.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and an examination to determine if any current low back/lumbar spine or right ankle disabilities had their onset during active service, including a reported fall from a trailer in Iraq in 2008. The Veteran's bilateral pes planus is denied as it preexisted service.

The Veteran's petition to reopen his claim for service connection of a back disability was granted. Service connection for tinnitus and an increased rating for left ankle disability were also granted, while the issues regarding PTSD and TDIU are remanded.

The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection for a back disorder, separate ratings for agoraphobia, nervousness and depressive disorders, and higher ratings for the right arm and left shoulder scars, painful right arm scar, right wrist and hand arthrofibrosis, and left shoulder disability.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for a back disability and an acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that there is no evidence to support these conditions being related to his military service.

The Veteran's appeal regarding TBI, depressive disorder, lumbar spine disability, right knee strain and tendonitis, and left knee strain and tendonitis has been dismissed due to the Veteran withdrawing his appeal prior to a Board decision.

The Board denied compensation benefits under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for an additional lumbar spine disability due to treatment at a VA medical facility in June 2014, finding that the Veteran's current service-connected back disability already warranted compensation.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for a psychiatric disorder, an initial rating for lumbosacral strain, spondylolisthesis, levoscoliosis, anterior wedging T10-12, and total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to outstanding development needed.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for lumbar spine strain, bilateral pes planus, and adjustment disorder due to inadequate examinations and failure to provide adequate reasons or bases.