Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Veteran's depressive disorder is rated as TDIU effective February 21, 2024.,SMC at the housebound rate is granted effective February 21, 2024.,An initial compensable rating for allergic rhinitis is denied.,A higher rating of hypertension is denied.

The Veteran's claims for an increased rating for his lumbar spine disorder and TDIU are being remanded due to the inadequacy of the VA examination in the previous decision. A new VA examination is required to assess the current severity of the Veteran's disability.

The Veteran's low back disability, associated with a torn medial meniscus of the left knee, is rated at 40 percent prior to March 9, 2023. From that date forward, his condition does not warrant a higher rating.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for sleep apnea, eczema, cervical disability, and back disability due to a lack of evidence supporting these conditions were incurred or aggravated by active service.

The Veteran's claim for an extra-schedular TDIU prior to January 31, 2018 is remanded due to insufficient evidence of unemployability by reason of service-connected disabilities.

The Board has denied service connection for left knee/leg, right knee/leg, and lumbar spine disabilities due to a lack of evidence linking these conditions to active military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a lower back disability, finding that there was no evidence to support a link between his current condition and his military service.

The Veteran's TDIU and DEA benefits are granted effective June 15, 2021, due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's appeals for an earlier effective date and service connection were dismissed due to concurrent elections under the Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017.

The Board has granted service connection for cervical and lumbar spine disabilities, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are related to his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's lower back condition and remanded the issue of service connection for gout.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty-to-assist error, requiring the AOJ to obtain a new VA medical opinion regarding the Veteran's claim for service connection for lumbosacral strain.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's lumbar degenerative disc disease does not warrant a rating in excess of 20 percent, as his forward flexion is limited to at most 50 degrees and there is no evidence of ankylosis or unfavorable ankylosis.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for a lower back condition, finding that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether the disability began during active service.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for thoracolumbar strain with degenerative arthritis and degenerative disc disease, as well as lumbar radiculopathy, left lower extremity, are being remanded due to a duty to assist error. The Board requests that the Veteran provide information about any private treatment providers he has used.

The Board has denied the claim for service connection for low back disability, finding that there is not sufficient evidence to establish a link between the current condition and active military service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis, left lower leg radiculopathy (sciatic nerve), and right lower leg radiculopathy (sciatic nerve) was granted effective May 7, 2021.

The Board has granted service connection for a spine disability and lower extremity radiculopathy as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected knee disabilities. The Veteran was also granted an increased rating of 30 percent for his scars.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, finding that new and relevant evidence did not support readjudication of these claims. The TDIU claim was also denied as the Veteran's single service-connected condition (hiatal hernia) did not render him unemployable.

The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for his lumbar spine disability is being remanded due to the need for a Correia compliant VA examination.