Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Veteran's knee and hip disabilities, as well as his lower extremity sciatica, are being remanded for further evaluation due to the need for additional medical examination.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for his bilateral hip disabilities and back disability, as well as service connection for sleep apnea, are being remanded.,The Veteran’s psychiatric disability is rated at 50 percent prior to March 2, 2017 but not higher than that during the entire appeal period.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of the veteran's back disability, specifically his claimed 2007 injury. The examiner is requested to provide an opinion on whether it is at least as likely as not that the veteran’s current back disability had onset in or is otherwise related to active service.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating in excess of 10 percent for degenerative disc disease, to include degenerative arthritis and herniated nucleus pulposus of the lumbosacral spine is remanded due to a lack of information regarding flare-ups and associated radiculopathy. The case will be returned to the Board after a VA examination during a time in which he experiences a flare up of his back disability.

The Veteran's low back condition, resulting from a diskectomy and fusion surgery, is granted at a 40 percent rating for the period prior to October 11, 2016. The appeal for higher ratings or service connection is denied.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for lumbosacral strain and hemorrhoids are remanded due to the addition of new evidence. The effective date issue is not addressed as it pertains to a different claim.

The Veteran's bilateral pes planus with hallux valgus is granted a 30 percent rating, but no more. The lumbar spine disorder is denied service connection as not proximately due to or aggravated by the service-connected bilateral foot disability.

The Veteran's back disability is rated at 20 percent, and a separate 10 percent rating for right lower extremity radiculitis has been granted. The TDIU claim is part of the underlying lumbar spine disability claim.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for a right foot disorder, low back disorder, and right ankle disorder due to outstanding VA treatment records that may be pertinent to her claims. The Veteran is required to provide any missing VA treatment records from specific medical facilities in Michigan.

Service connection for IBS, as due to Gulf War undiagnosed illness, is granted. Service connection for headaches, left arm condition, left wrist condition, right index finger injury, lower back condition, right knee condition, left knee condition, and right eye condition are denied. Service connection for fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome, both as due to Gulf War undiagnosed illness, are also denied.

The Board denied service connection for a low back disability and a right knee disability, finding that the evidence did not establish current disabilities or a link to service.

The Board denied service connection for lumbar spine degenerative joint disease and congenital spinal stenosis, bilateral pes planus, right knee condition, left knee condition, and right wrist condition (dominant) as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions originated during active service.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for various conditions due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology and no VA examiner having provided an opinion on all issues. The Veteran's reported in-service injuries are also under consideration.

The Veteran's lumbar strain and radiculitis of the right lower extremity are currently rated at 10 percent. The Board has ordered a new VA examination to assess the current severity of these conditions.

The Veteran's initial claim for an increased evaluation of rhinitis was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation under Diagnostic Code 6522.,The claim to reopen service connection for a low back disorder was denied due to lack of new and material evidence.,The claim to reopen service connection for a right knee disorder was denied due to lack of new and material evidence.,The claim to reopen service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and depression, secondary to rhinitis, was granted. The Board found that the evidence raised a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim.,The claim to reopen service connection for a neck disorder was denied due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Veteran's claims for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 are remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding whether his current disabilities, including back disability, bowel obstruction, osteoarticular infection, CKD, depression, bilateral knee and shoulder conditions, and malnutrition, were caused by a perforated bowel resulting from a VA colonoscopy in November 2011.

The Board denied service connection for PTSD and remanded the issue of service connection for a low back disorder. The denial was based on insufficient evidence to verify the claimed in-service stressors, leading to a lack of a causal relationship between current PTSD symptoms and service.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for elbow trauma, bilateral shoulder trauma, a back disability, and posterior head trauma due to incomplete records from the Veteran's Army Reserve service.

The Board denied service connection for a back disability and remanded issues regarding the left hip condition, including rating in excess of 20 percent and compensable rating for limitation of extension and flexion.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals on all issues, including increased ratings for low back disability, obstructive sleep apnea, ulcerative colitis and GERD, and appendectomy with residual scar. As a result, the Board has dismissed these matters.