Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Veteran's claim for service connection for adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood is granted. The claims for service connection for a back disability, bilateral hearing loss, and migraines are denied.

Service connection for a lumbar spine disability is granted.,The Veteran's left knee condition and right arm conditions (right elbow and right shoulder) are remanded due to insufficient medical opinions.

The Board has granted service connection for left wrist sprain, right wrist sprain, and lumbosacral strain. The Veteran's current conditions are deemed to have been incurred during his active military service.

The Veteran's initial claim for a higher rating prior to September 11, 2023 was denied as his lumbar spine disability did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under the General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine.,The Veteran's increased rating from September 11, 2023 was granted based on limitation of motion. However, the evidence does not support an increase to a higher rating as there is no finding of unfavorable ankylosis.

The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, lumbar spine disability, and post-hydrocelectomy hydrocele due to issues with evidence and remand directives not being followed.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for left lower extremity sciatic nerve and chronic lumbar strain as they were not fully developed due to outstanding treatment records and a missed VA examination. The Veteran is required to provide information for obtaining additional medical records, including those from Largo Medical Center.

The Board denied entitlement to a TDIU prior to April 3, 2014, as the evidence did not show that the Veteran was unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection for a lumbar spine disability due to incomplete development of records from Tustin Air Force Base Hospital and Long Beach Naval Hospital. The AOJ is required to obtain these records and provide an addendum medical opinion if relevant evidence is found.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to obtain or maintain substantially gainful employment from March 11, 2017. The Board has granted a TDIU effective that date.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to new evidence and non-VA-generated evidence being added to his claims file.

The Veteran's thoracolumbar spine disability is rated at 20 percent, but not more. From December 29, 2011 to January 19, 2023, the Veteran was granted a TDIU for purposes of SMC. From January 20, 2023, she is denied a TDIU for SMC purposes.

The Board denied a rating greater than 10 percent for left CTS from November 3, 2017 to December 13, 2022 and a compensable initial rating for GERD s/p right inguinal hernia surgical repair, right side of abdomen prior to June 27, 2022.

The Veteran's tinnitus is currently rated at the maximum schedular rating of 10 percent, and an increased evaluation is denied.,The Veteran's lumbar spine disability has not met the criteria for a higher than 10 percent evaluation under the General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine.

The reduction in disability rating from 40 percent to 10 percent for lumbar spine disability was improper, and the previously assigned 40 percent rating is restored. The entitlement to an evaluation in excess of 40 percent for lumbar spine disability is granted.

The Veteran's asthma has been granted a 0 percent evaluation effective August 10, 2022. The claims for sinusitis and hearing loss/tinnitus are being remanded due to new evidence received.

The Veteran's claim for earlier effective date for schizophrenia, unspecified with cocaine use disorder is granted. The appeal for an earlier effective date for lumbosacral strain is dismissed as it was not a valid issue.

The Veteran's GERD, lumbar spine condition, tinnitus, and psychiatric disability are all granted service connection.,Service connection is established for these conditions based on their onset during active duty.

The Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine disability, intervertebral disc syndrome, and spinal stenosis are currently rated at 40 percent. The appeal is denied as the criteria for a higher rating have not been met.,The Veteran's service-connected left lower extremity radiculopathy and right lower extremity radiculopathy are both currently rated at 40 percent. The appeals are denied as the criteria for a higher rating have not been met.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's back pain is at least as likely as not related to her service, and therefore grants her claim for service connection.

The Board has remanded the claim of service connection for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and its secondary relationship to PTSD, degenerative arthritis of the right and left knee, degenerative arthritis of the lumbosacral spine, right and left ankle conditions, and nasal bone fracture residuals due to a duty to assist error.