Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2004

The Board has granted a disability rating of 60 percent for the veteran's service-connected degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, effective September 29, 2002.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and verifying combat exposure.

The Board has found that the veteran had chronic left knee disorder with degenerative joint disease incurred during service. The veteran does not currently have a hearing loss disability within VA's definition of such a condition.

The Board denied service connection for a back disability and PTSD, finding no evidence of chronicity or continuity of symptomatology over the years since separation from service.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further development and consideration, including obtaining medical records and arranging for a VA examination.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected DJD with limitation of motion of the lumbar spine is being remanded due to the need for a more contemporaneous VA examination, as well as obtaining medical records from Arizona Sports Physical Therapy and any follow-up treatment records related to the June 2004 endoscopic discectomy. The claim will be adjudicated using both old and new criteria governing spine disabilities.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for right wrist disorder, epidermophytosis (claimed as punctuate plantar and palmar keratoderma), chronic headaches, back disorder, and stomach disorder. The decision also addressed whether new and material evidence had been submitted to reopen these claims.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining Social Security Administration records and scheduling an orthopedic examination.

The Board determined that the veteran does not have a chronic back disability linked to service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has remanded the veteran's claims for further development and adjudication due to incomplete records and need for additional medical opinions.

The Board found no evidence to support the veteran's claims of cervical and lumbar spine disorders having origins in service, thus denying them.

The Board found that the veteran's lumbar muscle strain does not warrant a compensable evaluation, and his anxiety reaction does not clearly interfere with normal employability. Therefore, he is denied an increased evaluation for both conditions.

The Board found that the veteran's current neck disability is related to his in-service injuries and granted service connection for residuals of a neck injury.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected lumbosacral strain was denied as the evidence did not support a higher rating than 20 percent.

The Board found that the veteran's appeal was untimely, and thus denied his claim for service connection for a back disability.

The Board has granted service connection for degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine, finding that it is at least as likely as not related to a fall in service. The veteran's other claims are addressed in the remand portion.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim for service connection of residuals of a left eye injury and granted it. The other issues were denied.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, sinus bradycardia, systolic ejection murmur, pain of the knees and feet (other than undifferentiated connective tissue disorder with Raynaud's Phenomenon), and a low back disorder. The initial ratings assigned for urinary incontinence, irritable bowel syndrome with esophagitis, and undifferentiated connective tissue disorder with Raynaud's Phenomenon have also been denied.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA outpatient treatment records and providing the veteran with examinations to determine the severity of his anxiety reaction, bilateral pes planus and hallux valgus, and back disorder. The claims will be adjudicated again based on this new evidence.

The Board has determined that the submitted evidence is not new and material, thus denying the reopening of the claim for service connection for a low back disability.