Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Board has granted service connection for Degenerative Disc Disease of the Lumbar Spine, but has remanded the issue of service connection for Asthma due to inadequate examination and opinion.

The Board finds that additional development is needed before the claims for higher evaluations can be adjudicated on the merits. The Veteran has submitted new evidence since the March 2015 Statement of the Case, and this evidence must be considered by the AOJ.

The claim for service connection of left varicocele has been reopened due to new evidence. The claims for joint pain, low back disability, tinnitus, and depression are remanded for further examination and opinion.

The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection of back disability, right hip condition, left hip iliotibial band syndrome, and traumatic brain injury. Service connection was granted for PTSD.

The Board has determined that additional records are needed to properly adjudicate the Veteran's claims for service connection of various orthopedic disabilities, including bilateral wrist, lumbar spine, hands, hips, knees, ankles, and feet disabilities. The case is being remanded for further development.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for various disabilities, including a right ankle disability, back disability, bilateral hip disability, right leg disability, left ankle disability, bilateral foot disability, and left eye disability are remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations.

The Board has granted service connection for opioid use disorder on a secondary basis to the Veteran, finding that his service-connected back disability and radiculopathy aggravated his opioid use disorder beyond its natural progression.

The Board denied service connection for a lumbar spine disorder as there is no evidence of current disability and the Veteran's reported pain does not constitute a disability.

The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of relevant Social Security Administration (SSA) records, which may be pertinent to the Veteran's claim for service connection for his lumbar spine disability. The AOJ is instructed to obtain these records and associate them with the claims file.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for pseudofolliculitis barbae and degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine are granted. The claim for pseudofolliculitis barbae is granted as it had its onset during active service, while the claim for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine is remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for various disabilities, including right wrist, cervical spine, left knee, and right knee disabilities, as well as an acquired psychiatric disability and a lumbar spine disability. The appeals are being remanded due to outstanding records from Dr. James Morgan and the Texas Rehab Commission needing to be located and associated with the file, and a VA examination for the claimed psychiatric disability and lumbar spine disability is needed.

The Board dismissed the claims for service connection due to the Veteran's death.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's neck condition. The claims for service connection for low back and right leg conditions are denied.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for heat sensitivity, respiratory disability, neck and back disabilities, joint disability or polyarthritis, and balance disability due to outstanding VA treatment records and further medical examination.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including increased ratings for his shoulder and spine conditions, as well as PTSD. The claims are being remanded due to a lack of recent VA examinations that did not account for functional loss or flare-ups.

The Veteran's death was not caused by any service-connected disability, and the cause of death (chronic aspiration pneumonia, altered mental state, new onset seizure disorder) is not related to VA care or treatment. The Board denied both claims for service connection for the cause of death and DIC under 38 U.S.C. § 1151.

The Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based upon individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities was denied as there is no evidence of an earlier claim or raised by the record.

The Veteran's lumbar spine spondylolisthesis with degenerative disc disease was granted a rating of 40 percent from October 8, 2015 to November 28, 2017. The Veteran also received a grant for total disability based on individual unemployability.

The Veteran's service-connected myofascial low back pain with degenerative disc disease has rendered him unemployable due to his condition, and the Board grants a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary to address the Veteran's claims for a rating in excess of 10 percent for residuals of meningitis with migraine headaches and service connection for a back disability. The case is being remanded for further action.