Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Board granted service connection for left ear hearing loss disability and denied an earlier effective date for urinary incontinence, while remanding claims for bowel incontinence and right ear hearing loss.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, an increased rating for generalized anxiety disorder with depression (GAD), and a compensable rating for pseudofolliculitis barbae. The claims for service connection for chronic left knee pain, chronic right knee pain, low back pain, neurogenic erectile dysfunction, onychomycosis, and pain and dysfunction of the right shoulder were remanded.

The Board granted service connection for a low back disability, right lower extremity radiculopathy, and left lower extremity radiculopathy. The claims for headaches and gastrointestinal issues were remanded.

The Veteran's migraine headaches with vasovagal pre-syncope were granted a 50 percent rating, while the claims for increased ratings and earlier effective dates for other conditions were denied or remanded.

The Board denied service connection for lumbar strain with thoracolumbar scoliosis and a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board granted service connection for hypertension under the PACT Act and denied service connection for PTSD, left ear hearing loss, and remanded claims for asthma, low back, neck condition, and tension headaches.

The Board granted service connection for sinusitis and rhinitis, which are presumed to be related to the Veteran's exposure to fine particulate matter while serving in the Southwest Asia theater of operations during the Persian Gulf War. The claim for an earlier effective date was denied.

The Board granted service connection for lumbar spine intervertebral disc syndrome and radiculopathy left lower extremity sciatic nerve as secondary to IVDS, finding the evidence was at least evenly balanced.

The Board granted service connection for various radiculopathies and cervical spine conditions, with effective dates of March 7, 2014, but no earlier, and June 23, 2014, but no earlier. It also granted an initial rating of 30 percent from March 7, 2014, for degenerative disc disease and degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine, and a 40 percent rating from June 23, 2014, for degenerative disc disease and degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine.

The Board granted service connection for a back disability and a neck disability, both of which the Veteran claims resulted from injuries incurred during his active military service.

The Board granted service connection for respiratory insufficiency, cardiac arrhythmia, fatigue, and a left elbow condition, while denying service connection for other specified depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, an initial disability rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD, and an initial compensable disability rating for epidydimal cyst. The Board also denied an increased rating for lumbosacral strain.

The Board remands the claim for a disability rating in excess of 10 percent for lumbar degenerative arthritis to obtain additional evidence and clarify the ameliorative effects of medications on the Veteran's condition.

The Board granted increased ratings for the Veteran's lumbar disorder, left and right lower extremity radiculopathy, and PTSD.

The Board denied service connection for a lumbar spine disability, as the evidence did not support a finding of a current disability and there was no credible evidence that any claimed condition began during or is related to active duty.

The Veteran's service-connected degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine with intervertebral disc syndrome is granted an increased rating to 40 percent, and no higher, as of May 4, 2021. The Veteran is also granted a total disability rating based upon individual unemployability (TDIU) and special monthly compensation at the '(l)' rate.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral degenerative hip disability, chronic chest pain, left shoulder disability, and lumbar back pain as the evidence did not support a finding of current disabilities related to active military service.

The Board remands the claim for an earlier effective date for a 40 percent rating for spondylolisthesis with degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine to correct a pre-decisional duty to assist error.

The Board granted an effective date of September 3, 2019 for the service connection claims for lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis and IVDS, residuals of left foot surgery, scar of the left foot, painful scar of the left foot, tinnitus, right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome, and left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome.

The Board granted service connection for lower back disability, neck disability (cervicalgia), and persistent depressive disorder with cannabis use disorder as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected right knee disability. The claim for obstructive sleep apnea was denied.

The Board denied increased disability ratings for the Veteran's back, radiculopathy of both lower extremities, and a surgical scar, as well as earlier effective dates for these conditions.