Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a back disability, finding that there was no evidence of a continuity of symptoms from service and concluding that the current diagnosis is not related to service.

The Veteran's claim for a disability rating in excess of 20 percent for his service-connected degenerative disc disease with lower back injury and dextroscoliosis is being remanded due to the need for additional examination.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of a back disability, finding that there is not an approximate balance of positive and negative evidence to support the claim.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to pre-decisional duty-to-assist errors, including failure to consider relevant medical evidence and VA examinations.

Service connection is granted for dizziness as secondary to service-connected tinnitus.,Service connection is denied for memory loss. The Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of memory loss or functional impairment from it.,Service connection is granted for nausea as secondary to service-connected headaches.,Service connection is denied for right ear hearing loss disability due to lack of evidence showing noise exposure in service.,Service connection is denied for broken nose. There is no evidence of a current injury or functional impairment related to the claimed event.,Service connection is granted for fatigue as secondary to service-connected tinnitus.,Service connection is denied for irritable bowel syndrome. The Veteran does not have a current diagnosis and there is no evidence of symptoms from it.,Service connection is denied for low back disability. There is no evidence of a current injury or functional impairment related to the claimed event.,Service connection is denied for right flat foot. There is no evidence of a current injury or functional impairment related to the claimed event.,Service connection is denied for skin disability (claimed as skin rash, dermatitis and hives). The Veteran does not have a current diagnosis and there is no evidence of symptoms from it.,Service connection is denied for sleep apnea. There is no evidence of a current injury or functional impairment related to the claimed event.

The Board has remanded the claim for service connection for lumbosacral strain due to a duty to assist error and the need for additional medical opinions regarding causation and aggravation.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to procedural errors in the VA decision-making process.

The Veteran's right knee condition is granted as secondary to her service-connected right ankle condition. The Board also remanded the cases for further examination and evaluation.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals regarding the increased ratings for tension headaches, degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, DDD of the cervical spine, and voiding dysfunction.

The Veteran's appeal for a disability rating in excess of 40 percent for lumbosacral strain, status post hemi-laminectomy, is dismissed as the claim remains within the legacy system and was not an initial decision under the AMA.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for lumbosacral strain with IVDS, left lower extremity sciatic radiculopathy, and unspecified depressive disorder with anxious distress were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a rating in excess of the current 20 percent for lumbosacral strain with IVDS or the current 10 percent for left lower extremity sciatic radiculopathy.

The Veteran's intervertebral disc syndrome and right ankle disability are not rated higher than the current levels due to lack of evidence supporting more severe functional impairment.

The Board has found that the Veteran's low back disorder had its onset during service and is related to his military service. The right hip disorder claim is remanded due to a duty-to-assist error in obtaining private medical records.

The Board has denied service connection for anxiety disorder, thyroid disorder, and diabetes. The claims for hiatal hernia, back disorder, left hip disorder, and right hip disorder are remanded.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss, back disability, and GERD have been denied.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for left knee, right knee, left ankle, and right ankle disabilities are remanded.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for TMJ was denied as his interincisal range did not meet the criteria for a higher rating. The claim for an earlier effective date for TDIU and Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) was also denied, with the Board finding that the Veteran had stopped working on March 20, 2015.

The Veteran's hearing loss is granted as service-connected. The Veteran's prostate cancer residuals are denied as not related to service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities meet the schedular criteria for a TDIU, but his claim was denied because he did not submit a completed VA Form 21-8940. The Board finds that a formal application form is not required and there is sufficient information regarding the Veteran's educational and employment history. However, there is insufficient information regarding the functional impact solely due to the service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, combined, meet the schedular requirements for a TDIU effective June 27, 2014. The Board granted an earlier effective date of June 27, 2014 for her TDIU and DEA eligibility.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for an increased rating for right chronic wrist sprain, a compensable rating for right ear hearing loss, and service connection for thoracolumbar strain and thoracic scoliosis (claimed as upper back condition).