Back / lumbar spine — all decisions

The Board denied service connection for right foot plantar fasciitis, left ankle achilles tendinopathy, post-traumatic (concussion) headaches, and TBI. The appeal for an earlier effective date was also denied.

The Board remands the claims for a higher disability rating for left wrist, lower back, right hip, and right shoulder disabilities, as well as an increased rating for left upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, to obtain a supplemental opinion that evaluates the baseline severity of these conditions without considering the effects of medication.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for osteopenia of various areas, finding no relationship between his conditions and his military service.

The Board granted compensation under the provisions of 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for status post lumbar surgeries with degenerative arthritis and IVDS, as the additional disabilities were not a reasonably foreseeable result of the VA medical care.

The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, including fatigue, bilateral eye disability, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, GERD, penile condition, left foot disability, and others. Some claims were remanded for further development.

The Board denied service connection for various disabilities, including a back disability, neck disability, right pelvic disability, left ankle disability, right ankle disability, left shoulder disability, right shoulder disability, left knee disability, and right knee disability.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for hypertension, OSA, low back disorder, left hip disorder, and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy to obtain additional medical evidence.

The Board remands the claims for service connection due to inadequate VA opinions.

The Board remands the claims for further development, including consideration of additional evidence and readjudication by the AOJ.

The Board dismissed the claims for service connection for a back disability and an acquired psychiatric disability, as the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of a psychiatric disability and the claim for the back disability is now moot due to grant of treatment purposes only benefits.

The Board granted the restoration of a 20% rating for lumbar spine disability and service connection for right and left lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy, while denying service connection for vertigo.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral tinnitus and denied increased ratings for the Veteran's lumbar spine disability, radiculopathy of the left lower extremity, linear midline lumbar surgical scar, and bilateral hearing loss. However, the Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder secondary to a service-connected lumbar spine disability and a separate 10 percent rating for radiculopathy of the right lower extremity.

The Board denied the veteran's request for an earlier effective date for service connection for thoracolumbar strain with bilateral sacroiliitis, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and right lower extremity radiculopathy.

The Board remands the claim for a lumbar spine disability to correct a pre-decisional duty to assist error, specifically to obtain an adequate medical opinion that considers the Veteran's lay reports of symptoms.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a low back disability and a rating in excess of 20 percent for degenerative joint disease (DJD) of the left great toe, finding no evidence to support a direct or secondary relationship between these conditions and his military service.

The Board remands the issues of an initial rating in excess of 20 percent for lumbar strain with degenerative arthritis and an initial rating in excess of 20 percent for degenerative disc disease, cervical spine prior to December 10, 2014, due to a failure by the VA examiner to provide a retrospective opinion that complies with the Board's remand instructions.

The Board remands the claims for a low back disability, right knee disability, and left knee disability to obtain new VA medical opinions that adequately address the Veteran's lay reports of onset, in-service treatment, and continued symptomatology.

The Board granted an initial increased rating of 70 percent for PTSD with alcohol use disorder and remanded the claims for service connection for pain of the left shoulder, pain of the lumbar spine, and sciatic radicular pains.

The Veteran is entitled to a total disability rating based upon individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities from December 22, 2011.

The Board remands the claims for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for lumbar spine disability and earlier effective dates for service connection for bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy due to a duty to assist error.