Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2006

The Board granted an initial rating of 20 percent for mechanical low back pain, effective July 30, 1999. Service connection was established for syncope and numbness and weakness of both arms and hands secondary to service-connected mechanical low back pain.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining service medical records and ship logs.

The VA denied a higher initial rating for mechanical low back strain, as the veteran's flexion was at 95 degrees, which is above the threshold for a 20% rating.

The Board found no evidence of a current back disability associated with the veteran's active military service, and denied the claim for service connection.

The Board has granted the petition to reopen the claim for service connection for a back disability, and remanded it for additional development including consideration of the Veterans Claims Assistance Act of 2000 (VCAA).

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected residuals of a fracture of the right mandible and lumbosacral strain, finding that the evidence does not support an increase in disability rating beyond the current 20% and 40% ratings respectively.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a lumbar spine disability, bilateral ankle disability, and cervical polyp disability due to lack of evidence showing these conditions were incurred or aggravated during her military service.

The Board found that the veteran's disabilities of the spine, including cervical spondylosis and degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, were not incurred in or aggravated by active service.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and considering revised rating criteria.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including left periventricular lacunar infarct, chronic low back disorder, residuals of dengue fever, and chronic heart disease. The evidence does not support a finding that these conditions are related to military service.

The veteran's claim for a higher initial evaluation for his service-connected lumbar strain with degenerative disc disease was denied. He is currently assigned a 20 percent evaluation from October 17, 2005.

The Board has remanded both issues for additional development.

The VA determined that the veteran's low back disorder was not incurred in or aggravated by his active military service and is not related to his service-connected knee disabilities.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including a skin rash, weakness, pain in extremities (specifically shoulder pain), back condition, sinusitis, and nervous condition and sleeping problems, all claimed as due to an undiagnosed illness.

The veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to missing service medical records. The case will be reconsidered after further development, including VA examinations.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development of his claims, including service connection and requests to reopen. The SMC claim will be reconsidered after these issues are resolved.

The veteran has withdrawn his appeal for increased evaluations of plantar fasciitis/heel spur syndrome and lumbosacral spine disorder with hypertrophic spurring and sacroiliac joint dysfunction.

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

The veteran's appeal is denied as his service-connected flat feet did not cause or aggravate any of the claimed conditions, including circulatory disorder, bilateral ankle disability, low back disorder, and bilateral knee disability. The claim for an increased rating for pes planus remains pending.

The Board has determined that the submitted evidence is not new and material, thus denying the veteran's request to reopen his claim for service connection for a back condition.