Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2006

The veteran's left ankle disability is rated at 10 percent, effective from the date of claim.,Prior to December 7, 2002, the veteran's low back disability was rated at 10 percent. On and after December 7, 2002, it is rated at 40 percent.

The Board has granted service connection for low back and left knee disabilities as secondary to the appellant's service-connected right knee disability.

The Board found that the veteran's preexisting degenerative changes of the margins of the 12th thoracic vertebra were not aggravated by service, and his current back disability is not causally related to any in-service injury. Therefore, he cannot establish service connection for residuals of a back injury.

The veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions have been granted, and he is now entitled to a 100% evaluation for his cervical spine disability.

The veteran's increased rating for arthritis, hypertrophic, S1-2, vertebrae, and lumbar spine was denied. Service connection claims for diabetes mellitus with early peripheral neuropathy, left knee disorder, and right knee disorder were also denied.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining Social Security records and arranging for a VA examination to address the etiology of the veteran's back disorder.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and for various other conditions, finding no current diagnoses of these disorders in the record. The appeals to reopen claims for hypertension, joint disease, back disorder, knee disorders, gout, left thumb disability, left leg disorder, and skin disorder were also denied due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Board has found that the evidence of record raises an inferred issue of entitlement to expansion of the grant of service connection for lumbosacral strain to include arthritis and intervertebral disc syndrome (degenerative disc disease) of the lumbosacral spine, and this case is being remanded for medical examinations and opinions.

The Board denied service connection for lumbar spondylosis and stomach condition, finding no new evidence to reopen the claims or establish a nexus between current conditions and military service.

The Board has ordered a remand due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling an examination. The veteran's claim of service connection for degenerative disc disease and spondylosis of the cervical spine is on appeal.

The Board has granted service connection for left acromioclavicular degenerative joint disease, finding that it is presumed to have been incurred in service. The low back disorder issue will be addressed in the remand portion of this opinion.

The VA determined that there was insufficient new and material evidence to reopen the veteran's claim for service connection for a lower back disability. The Board found that the veteran had indeed submitted such evidence, but concluded that his current back condition is not related to his military service.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a chronic low back disorder and bilateral shoulder disability, finding no current diagnosis of these conditions and insufficient evidence to link them to military service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for nicotine dependence, pulmonary disorder, heart disorder, and low back disability. The decision also noted that new evidence had been submitted to reopen the claim for a low back disability but ultimately denied it on the merits.

The Board found no evidence linking the veteran's current cervical and lumbar spine disabilities to his active service, including any inservice injuries. The claims for service connection were denied.

The Board denied an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for a back disability and paranoid schizophrenia, finding no evidence to support such claim prior to June 5, 1997.

The veteran's claim for an increased evaluation of his service-connected postoperative lumbar laminectomy for herniated nucleus pulposus at L4-5 is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including a VA examination and compliance with notice requirements.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining Social Security Administration records related to his disability claim.

The veteran's claim for service connection of a low back disability is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including medical examinations and compliance with VA's duty to notify.

The Board found that the veteran's degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine was proximately due to or the result of his service-connected disabilities, including traumatic arthritis of the right knee, traumatic arthritis of the left knee, and traumatic arthritis of the right foot. The Board granted service connection for this condition.