Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for lumbar spondylosis and stenosis, finding that there is at least a 50/50 balance of evidence to support his claim due to continuity of symptoms since service.

The Board has dismissed the appeals of the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, lumbar spine disability, and brain tumor as no longer pending due to the cancellation of hearings and the granting of service connection for a back disability.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for service connection for left hip strain and low back degenerative disc disease with spinal stenosis due to a duty-to-assist error. The Veteran's statements regarding her symptoms will be considered in the adjudication of these claims.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have resulted in functional impairment sufficient to render him unable to obtain or maintain substantially gainful employment consistent with his education and prior experience throughout the period on appeal.

The Board has granted service connection for lumbar spine degenerative disc disease, degenerative arthritis, and spinal stenosis as these conditions are related to the Veteran's service-connected right and left total knee arthroplasty residuals.

The Veteran's claims for chronic contact dermatitis, degenerative disc disease (claimed as chronic back pain), and readjudication of service connection for neck condition are all granted. The Board found that the Veteran's conditions were related to his military service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for osteoarthritis, left hip; greater trochanteric pain syndrome, left hip; and spinal stenosis, thoracolumbar spine were denied as there is no evidence of a current disability related to her time in service.

Your appeal for service connection for a low back disability, including degenerative arthritis, has been dismissed as you have withdrawn your appeal.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 40 percent for lumbosacral strain and his TDIU claim due to service-connected lumbosacral strain have both been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support an increased rating or entitlement to TDIU.

The Veteran argues that he should have been granted service connection for lumbar sprain and hearing loss as early as 1965 based on his STRs showing these conditions existed in service. The Board finds the RO's failure to adjudicate this CUE claim was an error and remands the matter.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, TBI, and vertigo, have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's headaches, bilateral hip condition, lumbosacral strain, left knee condition, and left ankle strain are all granted as secondary to service-connected PTSD. A disability rating of 70 percent for PTSD is also granted.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for lower back, right hip, and left hip disabilities due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors. The Veteran's disabilities are being evaluated based on their direct relationship to his service.

The Veteran's lumbosacral strain is rated at 10 percent, and the appeal for an increased rating higher than 10 percent has been denied. The issues of service connection for left Achilles disability, migraine headaches, and GERD have also been dismissed.

The Veteran's initial rating for bilateral plantar fasciitis was denied, and the issues of service connection for OSA and lumbar spine disability were remanded due to procedural errors in obtaining relevant evidence.

The Veteran was granted an earlier effective date for Total Disability Rating due to Individual Unemployability (TDIU) from September 29, 2017. The evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's service-connected right knee and back disabilities prevented her from securing or following substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss, lumbar spine disability, left knee strain, and left knee instability are dismissed due to the Veteran withdrawing his appeal. The cases for a lumbar spine disability and left knee disabilities are remanded.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for an increased evaluation of his thoracolumbar strain with degenerative disc disease, right and left lower extremity sciatic radiculopathy. The reasons are that a VA examination was not conducted as required by law, and the issues are inextricably intertwined.

The Board has found new and relevant evidence for the claims of service connection for vertigo, back disorder, and right fifth finger disorder. The AOJ must readjudicate these claims based on this new evidence.

The Board has granted service connection for a back condition and bilateral knee condition, finding that the Veteran's symptoms began during active service and have continued to the present.