Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2005

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to missing service records and a need for an orthopedic examination.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for a medical opinion regarding whether any of the veteran's service-connected disabilities, or the medication used to treat these disabilities, caused or contributed to his death from vascular thrombosis.

The veteran seeks service connection for a low back disorder. The RO has remanded the case due to inconsistencies in medical opinions and need for further examination.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss with a 10 percent rating, effective November 9, 1999. The claim of entitlement to service connection for back disability was reopened and the issue is remanded for further development. Service connection for bilateral eye disability was denied on the merits.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development and adjudication due to insufficient analysis in the previous decision, including a lack of evaluation of non-service connected disorders under the rating schedule.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete records and further development is required.

The Board has granted service connection for left knee gouty arthritis and low back pain, finding that the veteran's current conditions are related to his service-connected gout. The rating assigned is 20% for gout affecting the left first metatarsal phalangeal joint.

The veteran's claims for initial compensable evaluations for bilateral pes planus, lumbar strain, and thoracic spondylosis were denied. The RO has obtained all relevant evidence necessary for an equitable disposition of the veteran's claims.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for a low back disability, finding that it did not begin during or as a result of his military service and was not caused by his service-connected right ankle fracture.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including left long thoracic nerve neurapraxia, low back disorder, neurological condition with headaches, dizziness and light-headedness, shortening of the left lower extremity, first degree AV block, respiratory disorder, hearing loss, skin condition of the hands and feet (claimed as a foot disorder due to frostbite), facial lacerations, nasal fracture, teeth numbers 8 and 9 for VA dental treatment, and jaw disability. The claims were found not to have been incurred in service.

The veteran's claim for service connection for pharyngitis was denied.,Service connection for sleep apnea, secondary to service-connected sinusitis, was also denied.

The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to the need for medical opinions regarding the relationship between the veteran's current back and left thigh disorders and his service-connected left knee osteoarthritis.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a right shoulder disorder and a right knee disorder, finding no evidence of chronic disabilities during active duty or post-service continuity of symptoms. The low back disability claim was not addressed as it is part of a separate remand.

The Board denied the reopening of the claim for service connection due to lack of new and material evidence.

The VA determined that the veteran's degenerative disc disease of the lower thoracic spine does not warrant a compensable rating, as there is no evidence of incapacitating episodes or combined orthopedic and neurological symptoms.

The Board is remanding the case to the agency of original jurisdiction due to procedural defects in the VCAA notification provided by the RO. The veteran and his representative need to be informed about the evidentiary requirements necessary to satisfy claims to reopen.

The Board has remanded the case to the RO for further action, including scheduling an orthopedic examination and obtaining a medical opinion regarding the veteran's low back disability.

The veteran's service-connected degenerative disc disease at L4-5 and L5-S1 is currently rated 40 percent disabling, while his cervical muscle strain with tension headaches is rated 20 percent. The case was remanded for further development.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected low back disability warrants a 20 percent rating, effective from September 26, 2003.

The Board has determined that the veteran's low back disorder and headaches are not related to his military service, and thus denied both claims.