Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2005

The Board has determined that the veteran's right heel spurs, right hip condition, right knee condition, low back condition, and right shoulder condition are all secondary to his service-connected residuals of strain to the medial plantar ligament involving the first metatarsal joint of the right foot. The decision is mixed as some conditions have been granted while others were denied.

The Board granted increased evaluations for the veteran's low back strain, left and right lower extremity radiculopathy, and residuals of a fracture to his left ankle.

The Board has determined that the veteran's lumbosacral strain does not meet or approximate the criteria for a rating in excess of 20 percent prior to September 26, 2003. The current evaluation of 20 percent is maintained.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of his claimed disabilities.

The Board has determined that the veteran's low back impairment did not begin during service and is not caused by any incident of service. As a result, the claim for service connection for mechanical low back pain is denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's back condition, claimed as low back pain, was incurred during his military service. The hives pre-existed service and were aggravated by service.

The Board found that new and material evidence had not been submitted to reopen the claims for residuals of a head concussion, hearing loss, and back disorder. The veteran's current symptoms were noted but did not provide sufficient information to establish service connection.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for arthritis, secondary to his service-connected left leg disability, and denied his requests for increased ratings for residuals of a gunshot wound to the left leg and left peroneal nerve impairment.

The veteran's claim for service connection for his lower back disability is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining National Guard service records and a medical opinion on the etiology of his current lumbar spine disability.

The Board found no evidence of a back disorder in service and denied the claim for service connection.

The Board denied service connection for a lumbar spine disorder and a left ear disorder, finding no current diagnosis of these conditions.

The Board has determined that the veteran's depression and cervical spine disability are not proximately due to or aggravated by his service-connected left shoulder disability.

The Board has determined that the veteran is entitled to a 60 percent rating for his spondylolisthesis with degenerative disc disease and arthritis of the lumbosacral spine, but no more.

The Board has granted the veteran's petition to reopen his previously denied claims for service connection for gastrointestinal, bilateral knee, and back disabilities.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and adjudication, including obtaining additional VA medical records and readjudicating the veteran's claims for an increased rating for his low back disorder and entitlement to a TDIU.

The Board has denied both the veteran's claims for service connection for a back disorder and secondary service connection for a heart disorder, finding that there is no evidence of a current disability or a link to service.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings for myofascial syndrome of the cervical spine and residuals of a low back injury were denied as there was no evidence to support higher disability ratings under the applicable rating criteria.

The Board denied all issues related to service connection and increased evaluation for tendonitis of the right elbow, finding no evidence of a link between any claimed conditions and service.

The VA denied the veteran's claim for an increased disability rating for his service-connected lumbar strain, currently rated at 20 percent.

The veteran's combined disability rating of 40 percent has never been greater than the minimum schedular criteria for TDIU, as he does not meet the required percentage standards set forth in 38 C.F.R. § 4.16(a).