Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to a lack of relevant Social Security Administration records, which may be pertinent to both low back disability and nerve pain in both legs.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for back disability, bilateral hip disability secondary to a back disability, bilateral knee disability, and TBI claimed as a cerebral concussion. The Board found that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for a lumbar spine disability is remanded due to insufficient nexus opinion. His claims for increased ratings for left foot metatarsalgia and plantar fasciitis are granted with an initial rating of 20 percent.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the relationship between his spinal and foot disabilities and his service-connected conditions. The VA must obtain additional opinions addressing causation and aggravation.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for her chronic lumbar strain is being remanded due to the need for additional evidence and testing.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling VA examinations.

The Board has granted service connection for low back disability, depressive disorder, and obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected comminuted left tibia fracture with shortened left leg. The Veteran is not entitled to a higher rating for his tinnitus.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a low back disability, finding that her current diagnoses were not related to her in-service injury and did not meet the criteria for secondary service connection.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for a cervical spine disability, thoracic spine disability, lumbar spine disability, left shoulder disability, and radiculopathy of the lower extremities due to conflicting medical opinions and inadequate examination reports. The Veteran is also being considered for TDIU.

The appeal for soft tissue sarcoma is dismissed. Lumbar disc herniation service connection is granted. Hypertension and liver condition secondary to diabetes mellitus, type II are remanded. Bilateral hearing loss rating is also remanded.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not preclude him from securing and following substantially gainful employment prior to November 23, 2011. The Board denied the claim for an effective date prior to this date.

The Board has decided to remand several issues, including the rating for the Veteran's lumbar spine disability and service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD and depression), left hip disability, and TDIU. The decision also requires a new VA examination for each of these conditions.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine and radiculopathy of the right lower extremity were denied. The Veteran's degenerative disc disease was rated at 10 percent prior to September 24, 2015, and at 40 percent from September 4, 2015.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's back and neck disabilities are not related to his active military service, and therefore, denied both claims.

The Veteran's dental condition did not result in loss of substance of the body of the maxilla or mandible due to trauma or disease such as osteomyelitis, and thus service connection for compensation purposes is denied.,Service connection for lumbar spine DDD, L5-S1 (claimed as low back pain) is denied because there is no evidence that the condition began during active service or is related to an in-service injury.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to unclear periods of service and a need for further medical examination to determine if any back disability is related to service.

The Board has dismissed all appeals as the Veteran's attorney withdrew his requests for service connection and increased ratings.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evaluation of the relationship between service-connected conditions and the Veteran's death. The examiner is asked to determine if there was a causal connection.

The Board has remanded four issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims, including for a low back disability and psychiatric disability. The VA treatment records from October 20, 2017, to the present need to be obtained.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete development, specifically a lack of VA examination and opinion regarding the Veteran's other service-connected disabilities. The Veteran is required to report for a VA examination.