Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection of degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine and an acquired psychiatric disability (including posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression) due to the Veteran's death.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for left and right knee pain/stiffness, as well as his back disability (scoliosis), due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology. The claims are being returned for further development.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and conducting further exposure assessments. The Veteran's service connection claims are pending.

The reduction of the rating for peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity from 10 percent to noncompensable was proper due to a finding of clear and unmistakable error (CUE) in the June 29, 2009 rating decision. The appropriate procedural steps were followed.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for low back and right shoulder disabilities due to insufficient evidence regarding their etiology. The Veteran is asked to provide additional medical records, including chiropractic treatment records, and a VA examiner will determine if his current conditions are related to service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for a low back disability and an acquired psychiatric disability (including depression and anxiety) due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology. The Veteran is required to undergo VA examinations to determine if his current disabilities are related to his military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's lumbar DDD is etiologically related to service and grants her claim for service connection.

The Board denied service connection for low back and cervical spine disorders, finding that the current conditions are not causally related to service.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection for psychiatric disability and increased ratings for left and right total knee replacements, left knee instability, and right knee subluxation. The cervical spine and thoracolumbar spine disabilities are remanded.

The Veteran's claims for PTSD and an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD, to include anxiety and depression, are denied as there is no credible evidence of in-service stressors or a nexus between current diagnoses and service.,The Veteran's claims for low back disorder, left knee disorder, and residuals of a left leg injury are remanded for further development.

The Veteran's service-connected back and right knee disabilities have worsened, and he should be scheduled for a VA examination to determine the current severity of his conditions.

The Board has denied a higher rating for the Veteran's lumbar spine disability from January 11, 2013 to April 27, 2015 and granted a 40 percent disability rating for the period from April 27, 2015 to July 18, 2016. The claim is being remanded due to an issue with the July 18, 2016 rating determination.

The Board has dismissed the appeal of the issue regarding a low back disorder. The claim for service connection for cervical spine DDD, status post-operative, is denied as there is no evidence that it began during active service or is otherwise related to an in-service injury or disease.

The Veteran's low back disability is rated at 20 percent from May 13, 2008. The Board found that the condition more closely approximated forward flexion greater than 30 degrees but not greater than 60 degrees, warranting a 20 percent rating. However, ankylosis was not present, thus preventing a higher rating.

The Board has remanded the claims for low back strain, DJD of the cervical spine, and tingling/numbness of the left arm due to service connection issues. The Veteran's medical records need to be updated, and a VA examination is required to determine if there is a causal relationship between his conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including peripheral neuropathy and lung disability, have been denied as the evidence does not support a finding of in-service onset or continuity of symptoms.,Service connection is only granted if there is medical evidence linking the current condition to an injury or disease incurred during active duty. The Veteran's claims are based on presumed exposure to Agent Orange (AO) herbicides, but the Board found no direct link between any claimed conditions and service.

The Veteran's right knee, lumbar spine, and obstructive sleep apnea claims are denied as there is no evidence of a current disability related to service.,The Veteran's left foot disability claim is remanded for further examination and evaluation.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for lumbar strain and degenerative disc disease was granted, with the effective date being prior to May 2, 2017. The claims for left knee strain, right knee strain, left thumb disability, fracture of the ring and little finger of the right hand, asthma, obstructive sleep apnea, and generalized anxiety disorder were all granted.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for updated VA treatment records and an examination to assess the effects of his service-connected back disability with bilateral lower extremity neuropathy and nonservice-connected diabetic neuropathy on his lower extremities.

The Veteran's service connection for pes planus is granted, and the Board finds that his back and hip conditions are aggravated by his service-connected pes planus. The issues of secondary service connection for back and hip conditions to pes planus are remanded.