Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2006

The veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unemployable, as he is currently working full-time and the VA examination found no significant impairment in his ability to follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has determined that there is no current evidence of a low back or cervical spine disorder, and therefore service connection cannot be granted for these conditions.

The veteran's low back disability was not shown to warrant a rating higher than 20 percent from April 17, 1991 to February 19, 2003 and higher than 40 percent from February 20, 2003 to the present.

The Board found no evidence to support a finding that the veteran's current low back disability is related to his active service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current low back disorder is not related to his active duty service and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The veteran's appeal for an increased disability rating for degenerative arthritis of the lumbosacral spine secondary to trauma has been dismissed as he expressed satisfaction with the assigned ratings.

The veteran's claim for an increased evaluation of his lumbosacral strain was denied due to his failure to appear for a VA examination scheduled in October 2005 without providing good cause.

The Board has determined that the veteran is not entitled to service connection for bilateral hearing loss, back disorder, neck disorder, left wrist disorder, diabetes mellitus and hypertension.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD due to lack of competent medical evidence linking her current mental health issues to any incident in service. The claims for asthma and microadenoma of the pituitary are pending as VA examinations are required.

The VA denied the veteran's claim for an increased disability rating for his service-connected lumbar myositis; discogenic disease at L2-L3, L3-L4, L4-L5, and L5-S1, as it did not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including a VA examination and proper VCAA notice.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected low back syndrome is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination and proper VCAA notice.

The Board has determined that the veteran's low back disability was aggravated during active service, including ACDUTRA. Therefore, service connection is granted.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination to determine if the veteran's claimed back and left knee disabilities are related to his service-connected right knee disability.

The Board has remanded the case due to issues related to service connection for low back pain, left knee degenerative joint disease, and right knee degenerative joint disease. The veteran's representative raised a new issue of reopening her claim for lupus, which is referred to the RO for adjudication.

The Board has determined that the submitted evidence is not new and material, thus denying the veteran's requests to reopen his claims for service connection of low back and cervical spine disabilities.

The Board has determined that there was no earlier claim for service connection for degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine, and thus an effective date prior to February 1, 1995 is denied.

The Board found that there is no competent medical evidence associating a cervical spine disability with the veteran's military service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for degenerative joint disease and degenerative disc disease of the lumbar and thoracic spine, finding that his disability did not begin during service or within one year of discharge.

The veteran's service-connected lumbosacral strain with residuals of lumbosacral surgery due to degenerative disc disease is currently rated at 40 percent, which approximates severe limitation of motion and other symptoms. The current rating adequately reflects the severity of his disability.