Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Veteran's application to reopen the claim of entitlement to service connection for a low back disability is granted. The Board finds that new and material evidence has been submitted, raising a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim. However, the claim remains remanded as further development is needed to obtain relevant service treatment records and to determine if the Veteran's current low back disability is related to his active duty service.

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to properly adjudicate the Veteran's claims for service connection of his back and right knee conditions, as the medical opinions provided do not consider the Veteran's lay statements regarding continuity of symptoms.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for a back disability, hypertension (claimed as high blood pressure), diabetes mellitus, psychiatric disability (claimed as depression), and eye disability including vision loss. The effective date issue is also remanded.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for low back and right knee disabilities, finding no evidence of a link between his current conditions and active duty service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a back disability, bilateral hearing loss disability, residuals of head injury (dizziness and unsteady gait), and psychiatric disability have been denied. The appeals are dismissed.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for a back disability, bilateral hearing loss disability, residuals of head injury (also claimed as dizziness and unsteady gait), and psychiatric disability have been denied. The appeals are dismissed.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for a headache disability is remanded.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for low back and left knee disorders due to inadequate VA medical opinions. The case will be returned for further adjudication with a new examination.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including left and right ankle disabilities, lumbar spine disability, knee disabilities, hip disabilities, foot disabilities, diabetic retinopathy, shoulder disabilities, cervical spine disability, heart disorder, and psychiatric disorders. The evidence did not support a finding of in-service incurrence or aggravation of any of these conditions.

The Veteran's back brace did not tend to wear out or tear his clothing, so he is denied an annual clothing allowance for the 2015 calendar year.

The Board has reopened the claims for left shoulder condition and back condition (previously addressed as back injury) due to new evidence submitted since the last final decision. The claim for bilateral leg numbness is also remanded for further examination.

The Veteran's degenerative arthritis, degenerative disc disease, and status post fusion surgery of the lumbar spine had its onset in service. The Board found that the condition is related to service and granted service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for radiculopathy of the left lower extremity and degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the lumbar spine are being remanded due to additional evidence received since the last Supplemental Statement of the Case.

The Veteran's appeal for increased disability rating for right lower extremity radiculopathy and service connection for lumbar strain with degenerative arthritis and TDIU was dismissed. The Board found that the evidence did not support an increase in disability rating prior to May 31, 2016 or after.

The Veteran's low back disability was rated at 10 percent from May 2013 to December 2014, and reverted to the pre-operative rating of 10 percent after his surgery. From February 2014 to December 2014, it remained at 10 percent. Since December 2014, a higher rating is denied as there was no evidence of ankylosis or incapacitating episodes.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for lower back, left knee, and right knee disabilities due to the need for additional development.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including a back condition, left knee condition, right hip condition, left hip condition, and an abdominal condition. The case will proceed with further examinations to determine if these conditions are related to military service.

The Board denied the petitions to reopen claims of service connection for back and right knee disorders, as well as service connection for left shoulder disorder, sinus disorder, and diverticulitis. The decisions were based on a lack of evidence relating these conditions to service.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the Veteran's claims of service connection for back and hip disabilities, as well as an increased rating for his left ankle disability. The claims are being remanded to obtain updated VA treatment records, a vocational rehabilitation file, and medical opinions regarding the relationship between the Veteran's service-connected bilateral knee and ankle disabilities and his current back and hip conditions.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including dental disorders and PTSD, were denied. The Board found no evidence of a qualifying dental disorder or current disability for the claimed conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and a back disorder, finding that the Veteran's current disabilities are at least as likely as not related to his military service. The claim was reopened due to new evidence showing hearing loss and a back disorder.

The Veteran's use of bilateral knee braces and a back brace for service-connected conditions is found to affect distinct types of clothing, warranting annual clothing allowances for the year 2015.