Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Board denied service connection for lumbosacral strain and left total hip arthroplasty as there was no evidence of these conditions in service or within a reasonable time thereafter, and the current conditions were not related to the Veteran's active duty.

The Board granted service connection for irritable bowel syndrome, bilateral plantar fasciitis, and an initial evaluation of 20 percent for degenerative arthritis with lumbosacral strain.

The Board granted the appellant's eligibility for direct payment of attorney fees based on past-due benefits awarded in a February 2024 rating decision that granted service connection for lumbosacral strain and right and left lower extremity radiculopathy.

The Board denied service connection for a low back disability as secondary to the Veteran's lower extremity disabilities due to insufficient evidence linking the two conditions.

The Board remands the issues of entitlement to service connection for a back disability and cervical spine disability due to the need for additional medical evidence.

The Board granted service connection for multiple conditions, including gastrointestinal disability, GERD, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, lumbosacral strain, cervical strain, left and right knee strains, hypertension, and chronic sinusitis.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for bilateral pes planus, low back condition, acquired psychiatric condition, and sleep apnea due to inadequate medical opinions.

The Board remands all claims for service connection due to pre-decisional errors in the duty to assist, including missing service treatment records and inadequate medical opinions.

The Board remands the claim for service connection for a lumbar spine disorder, including as secondary to service connected left foot hallux valgus with hallux rigidus, due to an inadequate etiology opinion.

The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss but denied service connection for degenerative disc disease and arthritis of the lower back, left shoulder fracture and rotator cuff tendinosis with arthritis, and right ankle strain with pain.

The Board denied an evaluation in excess of 70 percent for PTSD and remanded several other claims, including service connection for various disorders.

The veteran was granted a 70 percent initial rating for somatic symptom disorder, and a 20 percent initial rating for intervertebral disc syndrome lumbosacral spine. Other claims were denied or remanded.

The Veteran has withdrawn the appeal for service connection and disability evaluations.

The Board denied an increased rating in excess of 20 percent for the Veteran's lumbar spine disability as the evidence did not support a higher rating.

The Board remands the claims for increased ratings and a TDIU due to service-connected disabilities for further development, including obtaining contemporaneous VA examinations.

The Board granted readjudication of the claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus, a back disability (bilateral hip and bilateral shoulder), but denied or remanded the other claims.

The Board denied a rating in excess of 50 percent for persistent depressive disorder, granted service connection for a back disability, and denied service connection for a cervical spine disability. The decision also remanded claims for sleep apnea and total disability rating based on individual unemployability.

The Board granted service connection for chronic headaches, degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine, left knee strain (chronic left knee pain), and degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected right patellofemoral syndrome.

The Board denied service connection for left knee, right knee, varicose veins, and lumbosacral strain as the evidence did not support a finding of a current disability related to active duty.

The Board denied earlier effective dates for the grants of service connection for lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis, left lower extremity radiculopathy, right lower extremity radiculopathy, hypertension, diabetes mellitus type II, coronary artery disease (CAD), and impotency/erectile dysfunction, all from March 14, 2014.