Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2000

The Board has denied the veteran's claims of service connection for residuals of a right leg tibial stress fracture, right hip pain secondary to a right leg injury, and low back pain. The evidence does not support a finding that these conditions were incurred or aggravated by active duty.

The veteran's service connection claim for degenerative arthritis of the left knee is granted. The other issues are pending and will be addressed in a future remand.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the veteran's claim of service connection for a back disorder. The appeal is granted.

The Board has granted a 40 percent evaluation for the veteran's service-connected lumbosacral strain, which is currently rated as 20 percent disabling. The veteran's kidney stones are currently evaluated at 30 percent.

The veteran's claim for service connection for a low back disorder is being remanded due to the possibility of additional relevant service medical records, particularly from his reserve duty.

The Board has determined that the appellant's low back disability was first manifested during service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral knee, right hip, right calf, and low back disabilities claimed as secondary to his service connected right foot disorder due to a lack of evidence showing a relationship between these conditions and his service-connected right cuboid fracture.

The Board has determined that the veteran's low back disorder is related to his service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The veteran's claim for service connection for carpal tunnel syndrome is not well-grounded. The VA has denied the claims for benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. � 1151 for residuals of a tracheostomy and left shoulder disability, as well as his claims for increased ratings for cervical strain with arthritis, thoracic spine arthritis, lumbar spine weakness, and right knee arthritis.

The Board has found that the veteran's AVM is a congenital condition and was aggravated by service, leading to his current disability. Therefore, the claim for service connection for postoperative residuals of an arterial venous malformation of the spinal cord (characterized as a back condition) is granted.

The Board has determined that the veteran's back disability is aggravated by his service-connected right knee disability, warranting secondary service connection.

The veteran's service-connected conditions have been granted, but some issues remain pending. The initial evaluations and ratings for several of the veteran's disabilities are also established.

The veteran's claim for a total rating based on individual unemployability is being remanded due to the need for additional development and review in conjunction with recent legislation.

The Board denied service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, finding that his service-connected back disability did not contribute to his death.

The veteran's service-connected bilateral pes planus is currently rated at 10 percent, but the Board found that it does not meet the criteria for a higher rating. The issue of service connection for lumbar strain with disc protrusion at L5-S1 and gout will be addressed in the remand portion.

The Board has granted the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected arthritis of the lumbar spine, hemorrhoids, and ventral hernia.

The Board found that new and material evidence had not been submitted to reopen the veteran's claims for service connection for a left knee disorder and a back disorder. The RO's June 1992 rating decision denying these claims remains final.

The Board has granted a combined rating of 100 percent for multiple joint arthritis, including right knee (rated 60%), lumbar spine (rated 40%), left knee (rated 30%), cervical spine (rated 30%), left shoulder (rated 30%), right shoulder (rated 20%), left ankle (rated 20%), right ankle (rated 20%), and left hip (rated 10%).

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection of back, ankle, hip, knee, and psychiatric disabilities. The rating for varicose veins remains at 20 percent.

The Board has determined that the veteran's low back disability does not warrant a higher evaluation, as it is currently evaluated at 10 percent and does not meet the criteria for a higher rating under any applicable diagnostic codes.