Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Board has remanded the case for development consistent with the terms of the Joint Motion for Remand (JMR). The Veteran's Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Service records need to be obtained.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to lack of substantial gainful employment as a result of service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, low back disorder, fractured nose with deviated septum, and tinea pedis. The evidence did not establish that these conditions rendered the Veteran unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.

The Board has remanded the case to the AOJ for further development, including obtaining VA and private treatment records and scheduling a VA examination. The Veteran's claims of entitlement to increased ratings for his lumbar spine disability and left lower extremity radiculopathy are being remanded.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 40 percent for his low back disability has been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support an increase in the current rating, as there was no indication of ankylosis or incapacitating episodes.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a clothing allowance for 2015, finding that he did not meet the criteria as his service-connected disabilities do not cause wear and tear on his clothing.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for her degenerative disc disease, spinal stenosis, and bulging discs of the lumbar spine and tension headaches. The Veteran was previously granted service connection for these conditions in 2007 but has continued to appeal for higher ratings.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and increased the rating for anxiety disorder with PTSD to 70 percent. The Veteran's claims for other conditions remain pending.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed, including obtaining Social Security Administration records and scheduling a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of the appellant's current back and right knee disabilities.

The Board has reopened the previously denied claims of service connection for bilateral shoulder disability, lumbar spine disability, cervical spine disability and right lower extremity radiculopathy due to new and material evidence submitted by the Veteran.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and conducting a new VA examination to assess her ability to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment due to her service-connected disabilities.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining updated VA and private treatment records, SSA records, and another examination of the Veteran's low back. The claim will be re-adjudicated after all requested actions are completed.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to determine if an extraschedular TDIU rating under 38 C.F.R. § 4.16(b) is warranted due to his service-connected disabilities, which include degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine and radiculopathy of both lower extremities.

The Veteran's cervical spine disorder is currently evaluated at 20 percent, and the Board finds that an evaluation in excess of this rating is not warranted.

The Veteran's initial compensable rating for post-inflammatory hypopigmentation due to tinea versicolor is granted, and service connection for a lumbar spine condition is granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's cervical spine and low back disabilities did not manifest until more than one year after service, are not related to service, and were not aggravated by a service-connected right shoulder disorder.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and medical opinions regarding his low back disorder, tinea, sleep disorder, and left leg disorder.

The Veteran's service-connected degenerative joint disease with degenerative spurring of the thoracolumbar spine has been rated at 20 percent since February 4, 2011.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a ganglion cyst of the right wrist was granted. The remaining issues on appeal are related to his PTSD, hypothyroidism, and back disability.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for residuals of a back injury, headaches, and bilateral flat feet due to incomplete records and need for further examination.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for a lumbar spine disability and chronic thoracic strain, also claimed as a dorsal spine condition to the AOJ for additional development.