Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for various conditions, including left and right knee disabilities, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, back disability, hip disabilities, ankle disabilities, sleep apnea, inguinal hernia, psychiatric disorders, and dyslipidemia. The appeals are pending due to insufficient evidence or need for further evaluation.

The Board has remanded the claims for lumbar spine, left knee, left ankle, and eye disabilities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their onset in service or relationship to service.

The Board has determined that additional medical examinations and opinions are needed to properly adjudicate the Veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities, including bilateral hip disability, left shoulder disability, low back disability, bilateral flat feet, bilateral eye disability (claimed as due to blunt trauma), and skin disability (pseudofolliculitis barbae).

The Board has granted service connection for gout, but the claims for back disability, right elbow disability, left ankle disability, and groin strain disabilities are remanded.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a back condition was denied due to lack of evidence linking the current condition to military service. The new and material evidence submitted did not provide such evidence.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea was denied as there was no evidence showing it was related to his service-connected post-traumatic headaches or any other aspect of his military service.

The Veteran's claim for SMC based on the highest level of aid and attendance was denied as he does not meet the legal criteria for such benefit under 38 U.S.C. § 1114 (r).

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for a low back disability due to insufficient evidence and need for further development, including an examination.

The Veteran withdrew his service connection claims for a sleep disorder and a lumbar spine disorder before the Board could make a decision.

The Veteran's sleep apnea is granted as service-connected. The initial compensable rating for lumbar degenerative disc disease, left knee disability, right ankle degenerative joint disease, and erectile dysfunction are all denied.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for lumbar spine degenerative disc disease, right lower extremity sensory dysfunction, and left lower extremity radiculopathy due to additional relevant evidence being associated with his file. He is scheduled for VA examinations and a supplemental statement of the case will be provided.

The Veteran's TBI residuals and low back disability are both rated at 10 percent, with the decision denying any higher ratings.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened, and the Board has granted new evidence sufficient to reopen his claims of left hand arthritis, right hand arthritis, a lower back condition, and a chin injury. The claim for residuals of a right great toe fracture is denied. Other claims are remanded for further examination.

The Board has granted an effective date of November 18, 2010 for the assignment of a separate 10 percent rating for radiculopathy of the right lower extremity as a neurological manifestation of service-connected DDD of the lumbar spine.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for lumbar spine DJD and IVDS, left knee DJD, right knee DJD, and right ankle tendonitis as they did not meet the criteria for higher ratings under VA rating criteria.

The Board has determined that an effective date earlier than October 21, 2008, for service connection is denied. The Veteran's claims are remanded for further development and examination.

The Board has remanded the claims for a higher rating for the Veteran's lumbar spine disability and his claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities. The remand requires further development, including scheduling an examination to assess the current severity of the lumbar spine disability.

The Board has remanded the claims for right medial epicondylitis and mild degenerative changes of the lumbosacral spine due to a lack of recent VA examinations. The claim for a 10 percent rating based on multiple, noncompensable service-connected disabilities is also remanded as it is inextricably intertwined with the other claims.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to new evidence submitted by the Veteran, but did not find it material or sufficient to reopen the claims.

The Board has granted service connection for a degenerative neck condition and a degenerative back condition, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are at least as likely as not caused by his active military service.

The Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for hepatitis C was granted with an effective date of November 17, 2011. The Board has reopened the previously denied claim and assigned a 20 percent rating for hepatitis C.