Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Board granted service connection for sinusitis, right and left ankle disabilities, a low back disability, and radiculopathy of the lower extremities as secondary to the low back disability.

The Board denied service connection for hypertension, right lower extremity sciatic nerve pain, left lower extremity sciatic nerve pain, and low back disorder as there was no evidence of a current disability or in-service incurrence.

The Board remands the claims for an earlier effective date for service connection of various conditions based on clear and unmistakable error (CUE) in a March 1995 rating decision.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection for migraines, cervical spinal stenosis, a scar on neck, and right ankle disability, as well as increased ratings for bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome. The appeal for service connection for PTSD was denied due to insufficient evidence of a current diagnosis of PTSD.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for various disorders, including an acquired psychiatric disorder, neck, back, headache, right ankle, right knee, right shoulder, and right elbow disorders, penile disorder (erectile dysfunction), and sleep apnea, to correct a pre-decisional error by verifying the Veteran's duty status in January 2017 and obtaining additional medical opinions.

The Board denied an initial compensable rating for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and remanded the claims for service connection for prostate cancer, lumbosacral strain, and a higher rating for TBI.

The Veteran's psychiatric disability was granted a 100 percent rating, and special monthly compensation (SMC) at the housebound rate was also granted from March 31, 2011.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and remanded the claims for service connection for bilateral flat feet, lumbosacral strain (secondary to service-connected knee and ankle disabilities), hypertension, diabetes, and bilateral hands arthritis due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors.

The Board granted service connection for a chest pain disability, a lower back disability, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) based on new and relevant evidence.

The Board granted service connection for lumbosacral strain, finding that it is as likely as not attributable to a period of annual training.

The Board granted restoration of the 30% rating for IVDS with degenerative arthritis, spondylosis, and cervical strain, as well as the 30% and 40% ratings for left and right upper extremity radiculopathy, respectively. Service connection for a lumbar spine disorder was denied.

The Board grants service connection for a lumbar spine condition, resolving reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor.

The Board granted service connection for tinnitus and a back condition, while denying service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability, diabetes mellitus, heart condition, frequency of micturition, and hypertension.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including a throat condition, gastrointestinal condition, psychiatric disorder, back condition, elbow conditions, foot pain, leg conditions, migraine headaches, penile condition, and obstructive sleep apnea. The Board also denied a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss.

The Board remands the claims for right shoulder and back pain to obtain additional medical opinions addressing the Veteran's work as a welder and in-service injury.

The Board denied a rating more than 40 percent for lumbar strain with degenerative arthritis and granted an effective date of April 12, 2022, for service connection for radiculopathy left lower extremity (sciatic nerve) and right lower extremity (sciatic nerve).

The Board remands the case to obtain another VA examination that includes passive range of motion findings for a more accurate assessment of the severity of the service-connected lumbar spine disability.

The Board granted service connection for right and left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, sciatic nerve, with effective dates of June 8, 2015 and November 19, 2018 respectively. The Board also granted a rating of 40 percent for IVDS with degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine as of March 24, 2022.

The veteran withdrew his appeal for service connection and higher initial evaluations for multiple conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, actinic keratoses, plantar fasciitis, basal cell carcinoma, and various musculoskeletal issues.

The Board granted service connection for right and left knee disabilities, while remanding the claims for low back, bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy/sciatica, erectile dysfunction, and insomnia disabilities.