Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Board remands the claim for a VA opinion to address the nature and etiology of the claimed back disability.

The Board dismissed the claims for service connection for various disabilities, including back, knee, foot, and ankle conditions, as well as TBI, neurological disorder, sleep apnea, respiratory complaints, asthma, GERD, anxiety, PTSD, and other related conditions. The Board also granted an initial 10 percent rating for left hip strain with painful limited extension and denied a compensable rating for the same condition.

The Board denied service connection for a left hip disorder, back disorder, and acquired psychiatric disorder as the evidence did not support that these conditions were incurred in or otherwise related to the Veteran's service.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for lumbar spine, cervical spine, left shoulder, and head injury disabilities to ensure proper development of the evidentiary record.

The Board remands the claim for an additional opinion as the previous VA examination is found to be inadequate.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for a back condition, right knee degenerative arthritis, and left knee degenerative arthritis due to an inadequate medical opinion.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, a rating greater than 20 percent for lumbar degenerative disc disease, and entitlement to TDIU due to inadequate examinations and the need for additional evidence.

The Board denied the claims for increased ratings for lumbar spine DJD, left knee disability based on limitation of extension, and right knee disability based on limitation of extension.

The Board granted service connection for a left shoulder disability, but remanded the claims for back, neck, left foot, right foot, and left arm disabilities.

The Board denied a rating in excess of 10 percent prior to December 21, 2022, and in excess of 40 percent thereafter for the Veteran's back disability and also denied a separate rating for right lower extremity (RLE) radiculopathy.

The Board remands the matters for further development, specifically to obtain the Veteran's complete VA treatment records since February 2017.

The Board remands the claims for increased ratings for sinusitis with headaches and lumbar degenerative changes with herniated L5-S1 disc to ensure all necessary development is completed, including any additionally indicated development, such as obtaining outstanding medical records or addendum opinions.

The Board denied a rating greater than 30 percent for the Veteran's unspecified depressive disorder with unspecified anxiety disorder and remanded claims for service connection for low back pain and sleep apnea.

The Board denied several claims for service connection and higher ratings, granted service connection for a right knee disability and a right wrist disability as secondary to the service-connected right little finger, fifth metacarpal, degenerative arthritis, and remanded other claims.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and remanded claims for service connection for various other disorders, including left wrist, right knee, left knee, cervical spine, upper extremity neurological, thoracolumbar spine, left foot, right foot, left ankle, and right ankle disorders.

The Board granted a 50 percent rating for the Veteran's low back disability, but denied increased ratings for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy.

The Board granted a 40 percent rating for the Veteran's service-connected back disability for the period prior to July 13, 2004, and denied a rating in excess of 40 percent for the same condition from that date. The Board also granted increased ratings of 60 percent each for right and left lower extremity radiculopathy associated with the service-connected back disability.

The Board granted an earlier effective date of May 29, 2015, for the award of service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and denied initial ratings in excess of 20 percent for degenerative arthritis, lumbosacral/thoracic paraspinal lumbar spine, right lower extremity radiculopathy of the sciatic nerve, and left lower extremity radiculopathy of the sciatic nerve.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and remanded the claim for a low back condition (claimed as back pain), to include lumbosacral strain, due to insufficient evidence.

The Board granted service connection for coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus, type II, and hypertension. The claims for tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, and other conditions were denied or remanded.