Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2004

The Board has remanded the case for further development and readjudication due to issues related to service connection for a back disorder.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including a left hip condition claimed as secondary to her right calf scar. The RO also denied an increased rating for her right calf scar and service connection for hemorrhoids.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for right and left knee disabilities, low back disability, right hip disability, and residuals of a tonsillectomy. The decision is based on the conclusion that these conditions were not incurred or aggravated by service.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded due to scheduling issues for a hearing before a Veterans Law Judge. The service connection claims for back disorder and bronchial asthma are still pending, as well as the increased rating claims for eczema of the right foot, left knee disorder, and right knee disorder.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to incomplete file and insufficient information regarding notification of a May 1978 rating decision. The determinative issue is now whether the veteran's service connection claim arose before or after April 29, 1996.

The veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 20 percent for lumbosacral strain with degenerative changes is being remanded due to the need to consider new regulations and obtain updated medical evidence.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected residuals of a right foot injury and low back syndrome, finding that the evidence did not support higher ratings under applicable rating criteria.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hip, knee, and low back disorders, which he claims are secondary to his service-connected bilateral pes planus. The case is remanded for further development.

The Board found that the veteran's claimed conditions did not result from VA medical treatment during his 1993 hospitalization, and thus denied compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151.

The Board has determined that the veteran's low back and neck disorders are not service-connected, and therefore denied her claims. The earlier effective date claim for the cyclothymic disorder is also denied.

The Board denied an earlier effective date for the grant of a 60 percent disability evaluation for low back strain with disc disease, finding that the first evidence supporting such criteria was dated after April 9, 1998.

The Board has remanded the veteran's claim for entitlement to service connection for a back condition due to incomplete records and further development is required.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and adjudication, including obtaining VA examinations to determine the nature and likely etiology of any claimed foot and eye disorders.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a seizure disorder due to herbicide exposure and for a back disorder. The claim for conversion disorder was granted with increased ratings, but the issue of whether new and material evidence had been submitted to reopen the back disorder claim remains unresolved.

The Board has denied the appellant's claims for service connection and evaluations for his claimed conditions, including bilateral defective hearing, intermittent lateral epicondylitis of the left arm with recurring numbness, chronic lumbar strain, and hypopigmented scarring due to undiagnosed rash.

The veteran's appeal is remanded to determine an earlier effective date for a TDIU and the disability evaluation for his service-connected lumbosacral strain with degenerative disc disease.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current lumbar disc disease with degenerative arthritis is not related to his service and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Board denied service connection for a low back disorder and a groin injury, finding that the veteran's current conditions are not linked to his active service.

The VA has denied the veteran's claim for a disability rating in excess of 20 percent for recurrent lumbosacral strain with degenerative changes, as his condition does not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation under the current rating schedule.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and evaluation of the veteran's service-connected chronic lumbosacral strain, including consideration of additional evidence and a VA examination.