Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2005

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a low back disorder or bipolar disorder attributable to service and denied both claims.

The veteran's claim for higher initial ratings prior to March 27, 1997 was denied as the evidence did not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 40 percent.

The veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and records review. The issues of service connection for left knee disability, low back disability, and bilateral hearing loss are pending.

The Board denied service connection for chronic back and leg disorders, finding that the veteran's current conditions did not begin in service or were not aggravated by service.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded due to his request for a Travel Board hearing. The issues of entitlement to service connection for left knee and low back disabilities are still pending.

The veteran's unauthorized medical expenses at Florida Hospital on August 22, 2002 are now covered by VA due to the emergent nature of his chest and back pain.

The VA denied an increased rating for the veteran's service-connected compression fracture of L-1 with mechanical low back pain, currently rated at 60 percent.

The veteran's claim for a permanent and total disability rating for pension purposes was denied due to his failure to report for VA examinations scheduled in conjunction with his claim.

The Board has granted service connection for recurrent hemorrhoids, but denied service connection for low back and left shoulder conditions.,There is no evidence of a low back or left shoulder condition during active duty for training.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current low back disorder is not related to an injury or event in service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected disabilities have not met or exceeded the criteria for higher ratings under the applicable rating schedule.

The veteran's post-traumatic degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, with a demonstrable deformity of a vertebral body, is now rated at 20 percent.

The Board found clear and unmistakable evidence of a pre-existing back problem, but concluded that the current back problems did not undergo aggravation during service. The claim for service connection was denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for lumbar degenerative disc disease, finding that his current disability was not related to any event in service and did not pre-exist service.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities did not render him unemployable prior to December 31, 2001. His effective date for the TDIU is therefore set at that date.

The Board denied the reopening of a previously denied claim for service connection due to lack of new and material evidence, and the veteran's testimony did not provide sufficient information to establish a relationship between his current back disability and an in-service injury.

The Board found that the veteran does not have degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine attributable to his period of military service and denied service connection for this condition. The issue of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and depression, is part of the overall appeal.

The veteran's claims for service connection were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a direct link between the claimed conditions and military service.

The Board found that the veteran's back condition is not related to his service-connected right femur fracture and denied both his secondary service connection claim for a back condition and his increased rating claim for residuals of right femur fracture.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss and a back disorder, finding that there is no new and material evidence to reopen these claims.