Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2006

The Board of Veterans' Appeals (BVA) has determined that the veteran does not have a lower back disorder that is attributable to an injury or disease suffered during military service. The BVA found no medical nexus between the veteran's current arthralgia and his in-service low back pain, nor did it find any objective evidence of continuity of symptomatology since discharge from service.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various hand, wrist, shoulder, cervical spine, low back, and knee disabilities due to a lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of a low back injury, stomach disorder, and anisometropic amblyopia (reflexive error) in both eyes. The appeals were not about service connection due to herbicide exposure.

The Board denied the appellant's claims for service connection and an earlier effective date for non-service-connected pension benefits. The claims were not reopened, and no new evidence was found to support these claims.

The VA determined that the veteran's lumbosacral strain does not meet the criteria for an evaluation in excess of 10 percent, as there is no evidence of moderate limitation of motion or other symptoms warranting a higher rating.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including a new VA examination and the acquisition of recent medical records. The issues on appeal are service connection for a sciatic nerve disability and an increased rating for lumbosacral strain with osteoarthritis.

The Board denied service connection for all twelve claimed conditions, finding that the appellant did not have a radiation-exposed veteran status and there was no objective evidence of actual exposure to ionizing radiation during her military service.

The veteran is seeking service connection for back and neck conditions that are secondary to his service-connected myositis of the right shoulder. The Board has ordered remand due to the need for additional VA medical records.

The veteran's low back disability, characterized by pain and limited motion, does not meet the criteria for a higher rating than 10 percent.

The veteran is seeking increased disability ratings for his service-connected left knee and lumbar spine disabilities. The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development, including scheduling a VA examination.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for left knee disorder, lumbar spondylosis, and residuals of radiation exposure as there was no in-service injury or exposure to ionizing radiation. The claim for residuals of radiation exposure is denied because the veteran did not participate in a recognized radiation-risk activity.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete service records and a need for further examination regarding the appellant's ear and back disorders. The claims are not yet decided.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including a VA examination to assess his lumbosacral spine disability and consideration of both old and new rating criteria. The effective date issue will also be deferred pending resolution of the increased rating claim.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further development due to additional evidence and argument received from the veteran.

The Board found that the veteran's back disorder did not begin during service and is not related to any incident of service. As a result, the claim for service connection was denied.

The Board is remanding the case to obtain additional medical records and conduct a VA examination to determine if the veteran currently has left thigh muscle injury or lumbar back injury related to his military service.

The Board denied the appellant's claims for a higher rating for his degenerative disc/joint disease of the lumbar spine, restoration of a 20 percent rating for his bilateral hearing loss disability, service connection for his headache and neck disabilities, left hand disability, memory loss, and vision problems. The TDIU claim was also denied.

The VA determined that the veteran's low back disability, which is currently rated at 40 percent disabling, does not warrant an increased rating. The evidence did not show any significant neurological impairment or incapacitating episodes requiring bedrest prescribed by a physician.

The VA has determined that the veteran's mechanical low back pain does not warrant a rating in excess of 20 percent.

The Board has granted an effective date of March 17, 2000 for a 40 percent evaluation for the service-connected lumbosacral strain. The veteran's claims for increased evaluations for his radiculopathy and lumbosacral strain are pending.