Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling VA examinations to assess the severity of his lumbar spine disability and migraine headaches.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining service records and VA treatment records, as well as scheduling the Veteran for a VA examination to address his claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral knee disabilities and lumbar spine disability.

The Veteran's claim for service connection of a psychiatric disability has been reopened. The Board finds that the Veteran has a cervical spine disability secondary to his service-connected low back disability and grants this claim. However, further examination is needed to determine appropriate ratings for other disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his service-connected lumbar spine degenerative disc disease and spondylosis, Osgood-Schlatter's disease and osteoarthritis, left knee, and incomplete paralysis of the sciatic nerve, left lower extremity radiculopathy are being remanded to obtain additional medical examinations and opinions.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals regarding the increased rating claims for left shoulder disability, right shoulder disability, cervical spine disability, lumbar spine disability, and tinnitus. He also withdrew his service connection claim for fibromyalgia.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, right shoulder injury (claimed as bilateral shoulder injury/pain), left shoulder injury (claimed as bilateral shoulder injury/pain), right leg injury (claimed as bilateral leg injury/pain), and left leg injury (claimed as bilateral leg injury/pain). The Veteran has not appealed these decisions.

The Veteran's lumbar and left knee degenerative joint diseases were not found to warrant higher initial ratings, with the exception of a 20% rating for lumbar degenerative joint disease from October 28, 2009 through March 26, 2012.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings and service connection have been dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his appeals.,TDIU effective date has been granted from September 27, 2010.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is being remanded for a combined effects medical opinion that takes into account the current severity of all his service-connected disabilities, including his gastric disability and back disability.

The Board has granted a rating of 70 percent for PTSD prior to May 1, 2016 and found that the Veteran's symptoms more closely approximated occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in thinking and mood.

The Board found that the Veteran's current low back disability did not manifest during or as a result of his military service and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's lumbar and cervical spine disabilities are related to his service, and thus grants these claims.

The Board found that the Veteran's lumbar spine condition and sinusitis are not service-connected. The Veteran's lumbar spine condition was determined to be less likely related to service, while his sinusitis was not linked to mustard gas exposure.

The Board found that the withholding of compensation benefits to recoup disability severance pay in the amount of $6,392.00 was proper and denied the Veteran's appeal.

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for a right knee condition and finds that new and material evidence has been received. The Veteran's right knee disability is found to be related to his military service.

The Veteran's degenerative joint disease of the thoracolumbar spine was not found to meet or approximate the criteria for a higher evaluation prior to November 10, 2015.

The Veteran's right ankle disability was found to have moderate limitation of motion, warranting a 10% rating. The Board determined that the evidence did not support an increase in the rating.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection have been reopened, but the evidence does not support a higher rating or service connection for any of his claimed conditions.

The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeals for earlier effective dates and service connection claims due to procedural issues, as well as denied his claim of a reduction in PTSD rating. The appeal was not addressed further.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for his service-connected degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine is being remanded due to inadequate examination and procedural issues.