Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral pes planus, low back condition, left knee strain, right knee strain, and an acquired psychiatric disorder. The Board found no evidence to support these conditions during or after service.

The Veteran's allergic rhinitis, left elbow, right elbow, migraine headaches, lumbar spine, right knee, left knee, left shoulder, and right shoulder disabilities are all being remanded for further evaluation.,For the entire appeal period, the Veteran’s allergic rhinitis was not manifested by nasal polyps. His left elbow disability did not more nearly approximate flexion limited to 90 degrees, while his right elbow disability did not more nearly approximate flexion limited to 90 degrees.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disorder and radiculopathy of the right lower extremity have been granted service connection.,A TDIU before December 6, 2018, is still pending as it is inextricably intertwined with the ratings for these conditions.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various foot, shoulder, knee, and neurological disorders. The evidence does not support a finding that any of these conditions are related to his military service.,There is no medical evidence linking any of the claimed disabilities to service.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates and service connection have been granted. The VA has determined that the Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities are secondary to his service-connected back disability, and he is now eligible for DEA benefits based on permanent total disability status.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability is related to his active service and he has been granted service connection for this condition. The other issues, including bilateral hearing loss and skin conditions, are remanded for further evaluation.

The Veteran's back disability was granted a 20 percent rating effective May 26, 2016. The current appeal is about the period prior to this date and subsequent periods.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for his lumbosacral spine disability and TDIU prior to April 25, 2017 was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not show he was unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment due to service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's heart condition and hypertension are service-connected, but the lumbar spine disability is dismissed due to a full grant of benefits. Service connection for TBI, bilateral eye condition (secondary), and headaches (secondary) is denied.

The Board granted a disability rating of 40 percent for the Veteran's lumbar spine disability beginning February 24, 2019, and separate ratings of 10 percent each for right and left knee instability beginning December 1, 2022.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for a low back disability and hypertension, finding that additional development is needed to obtain relevant medical records and provide an adequate opinion regarding the etiology of these conditions. The issues remain on appeal as the PACT Act of 2022 does not apply to all periods of the Veteran's claim.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional VA examinations and addendum opinions regarding the Veteran's service-connected knee and back disabilities, as well as the qualifications of the November 2023 examiner.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a disability rating in excess of 10 percent and 20 percent for lumbosacral strain, chronic and recurrent with mild changes of degenerative disc disease at L5-S1, as well as his claim for TDIU due to service-connected disabilities. The remand requires further examination and consideration of the Veteran's medication use and its impact on range of motion.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities prior to March 3, 2014, finding that his service-connected disabilities did not render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran meets the schedular requirements for a TDIU and was rendered unable to obtain or maintain substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities since, at least July 2018.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, and a back disability due to new evidence and inconsistencies in previous decisions.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher disability rating for his service-connected degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine is denied as he does not meet the criteria for a disability rating greater than 40 percent from November 4, 2021. The case is remanded due to additional development needed.

The Board has granted service connection for residuals of sternal fracture but remanded the issue of service connection for a low back condition due to insufficient evidence.

The Veteran's thoracolumbar spine disability is rated at 40 percent, and his left and right lower extremity radiculopathy disabilities are each rated at 20 percent. The appeals for higher ratings have been denied.

The Veteran's increased ratings for his left shoulder, right shoulder (prior to June 13, 2017), thoracolumbar spine, and left Achilles tendonitis disabilities are denied. The right shoulder disability from June 13, 2017 onwards is not granted as the rating criteria do not meet the required standards for a higher evaluation.