Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2006

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a low back disability, residuals of head injury (including headaches), and an initial rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD. The appeals were not about service connection at all.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his claims, including obtaining his personnel records and SSA disability records. He must also be provided with proper VCAA notice regarding the rating and effective date aspects of his claim.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings for his knee disorders and service connection for low back and hip or pelvic disorders were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support granting any of these claims.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings for his right hip bursitis, left hip bursitis, and low back strain are being remanded due to the need for further development of evidence.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims of service connection for cervical spine degenerative disc disease and arthritis, as well as PTSD. The evidence received since the May 1999 rating decision is not considered new and material to reopen these claims.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current back disorder and finds no evidence of an in-service injury or disease resulting in such a condition. As a result, service connection for a back disorder is denied.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a low back injury and hepatitis C, finding that there is no evidence of in-service injury or aggravation.

The Board has remanded the veteran's claims for additional development due to incomplete records and need for medical opinions regarding his back disorder and hearing loss.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development, including providing proper notice under VCAA and obtaining service medical records.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current disability for which service connection can be granted, and there is no evidence of record linking his claimed conditions to military service or any service-connected disabilities. The veteran's chest pain, bilateral glaucoma, degenerative disc disease of the back, bilateral foot disorder, and bilateral knee disorder are all denied.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for a certificate of eligibility for assistance in acquiring an automobile or other conveyance with adaptive equipment, or for adaptive equipment only.

The Board has granted service connection for low back and bilateral shoulder disorders, but denied a higher initial evaluation for the left index finger disability and an earlier effective date for TDIU.

The Board found that the veteran's preexisting back disorder existed prior to his entry into service and was not aggravated by service, thus denying service connection for a chronic back disorder.

The Board denied increased disability ratings for the veteran's service-connected low back injury, bilateral knee surgeries, right shoulder strain, and bilateral plantar fasciitis with pes planus. The decision also addressed an increase in dysthymia but did not assign a new rating.

The VA has determined that the veteran's lumbosacral strain warrants a 60 percent rating, reflecting more accurately the severity of his symptomatology.

The veteran's appeal has been dismissed because he died during the pendency of his appeal to the Court.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for cervical and lumbosacral spine disabilities, finding that there was no evidence to support a direct relationship between his current conditions and his military service.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The claim for an increased rating for his seizure disorder was granted effective August 5, 2002, but the Board found no evidence of more than two minor seizures in any six-month period prior to that date or five to eight minor seizures on and after that date warranting a higher rating. For service connection claims, the veteran's dorsal (thoracic) spine arthritis was determined to be related to his service-connected cervical spine arthritis, but lumbar spine arthritis was not found to be service connected.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including back disability, left hip disability, left thumb disability, bilateral knee disability, multiple joint arthritis, residuals of multiple finger fractures, shingles, sleep apnea, hemorrhoids, and prostate disability.

The veteran's service connection claims for migraine headaches and low back disorder are both granted. The Board finds that the veteran likely has a current diagnosis of migraine headaches, which is related to her active duty service. For the low back disorder, additional development is needed as the X-ray studies have not been associated with the claims folder.