Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete information and need for further examination. The Veteran's current address needs to be verified, and he may need to undergo a VA spine examination.

The Board has remanded the case due to the Veteran's failure to appear for a scheduled hearing and is requesting further investigation into scheduling an alternative hearing.

The Veteran's service connection for a headache disorder is granted, and he is entitled to an increased rating for his right shoulder entrapment syndrome. The Board also found that the Veteran has hypertension and entitlement to an initial compensable evaluation.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a back disability and bilateral knee disabilities are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records.

The Board has remanded the case due to outstanding hearing requests and the Veteran's request for a Board hearing.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and vocational rehabilitation records. The TDIU claim will also be adjudicated.

The Veteran's low back disability is currently evaluated as 40 percent disabling. The VA examiner found that the Veteran's symptoms more closely approximate unfavorable ankylosis of the thoracolumbar spine, warranting a 50% evaluation under the General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine.

The Board has ordered a remand due to the need for additional development and examination of the Veteran's low back disability claim, including consideration of continuity of symptomatology since service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and a lumbar spine disorder are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and clarifying audiometric findings from his military service.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including an addendum to a VA examination and addressing whether the Veteran's calluses aggravated his low back disorder.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The Board found that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for a compensable disability rating or higher for his lumbosacral strain, except for the period of November 13, 2002 to July 2, 2003 when he was granted a 20% rating.

The Board found that the Veteran's chronic low back disorder was not incurred in or aggravated by active military service, nor is it proximately due to, the result of, or aggravated by a service-connected disability. The appeal for service connection for a low back disorder secondary to bilateral knee disorders was denied.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including a VA spine examination and consideration of functional loss due to flare-ups. The Veteran's claim for an increased evaluation remains pending.

The Board found that the Veteran's low back disability was incurred in service, as there is no clear and unmistakable evidence to rebut the presumption of soundness at entry into service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a back disorder, an increased rating for plantar fasciitis of the right foot, and entitlement to TDIU due to service-connected disability. The evidence did not support the Veteran's allegations of in-service injury or treatment related to his current conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities were of such severity that they precluded him from securing and following substantially gainful employment prior to June 29, 2012.

The Board found no evidence of a relationship between the Veteran's current upper back disorder and his military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities, including PTSD and acquired psychiatric disorders, as well as his secondary service connection claims. The back disability was not found to be related to a right elbow disability, nor were any of the other claimed disabilities found to be related to or aggravated by the right elbow disability.

The Veteran's low back disability was initially rated as noncompensable prior to February 2012 and has been rated at 10 percent since then. The right leg radiculopathy remains at a 20 percent rating.

The Board found no evidence that the Veteran's back disability began during or was otherwise caused by his military service, and therefore denied the claim for service connection.