Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2006

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling orthopedic and neurological evaluations. The claims will be reconsidered based on the new evidence.

The veteran's claims for service connection for degenerative disc disease and residuals of a right hand and wrist injury were denied as there was no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional medical records and a VA medical opinion regarding whether the veteran's service-connected disabilities contributed to his death.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including proper VCAA notice and VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of his bilateral knee and back conditions.

The veteran's claims for service connection for a back disability, bilateral hearing loss, and PTSD were denied. The right knee disability was granted with evaluations based on instability and arthritis with painful motion. The hypertension claim was not granted in excess of the current 10% evaluation.

The Board finds that the veteran does not have arthritis of the hips or a chronic back disorder related to meningitis sustained in service. The preponderance of evidence is against the claim.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current low back disorder as a result of service and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has granted the veteran's claims for special monthly compensation based on loss of use of the lower extremities and financial assistance in the purchase of an automobile or other conveyance. The veteran's service-connected low back disability is found to have resulted in effective loss of use of his lower extremities, warranting these benefits.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for a lumbar spine disability, cervical spine disability, and headaches. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to her military service.

The veteran's service-connected prostate cancer resulted in a 60 percent rating from January 30, 2003. The Board found that his degenerative joint disease of the lumbosacral spine is secondary to his prostate cancer and granted service connection for this condition.

The Board found that the veteran's service-connected lumbosacral strain, with degenerative joint disease and degenerative disc disease, did not warrant an evaluation in excess of 20 percent.

The Board found that the veteran's neck and back disorders are not related to his service-connected right tibia fracture, and thus denied both claims for service connection.

The Board denied an increased rating for the veteran's degenerative disc disease of the thoracic and lumbar spine, finding that his disability picture more nearly approximates a 20 percent evaluation under old IVDS criteria.

The Board found that the veteran's back disability was not incurred in or related to service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Board found that the veteran's low back disorder, headaches, bilateral knee disorders, foot disorder, and acquired psychiatric disorder were not incurred or aggravated during qualifying military service.

The Board denied an increased rating for the veteran's low back strain, finding that his symptoms did not meet criteria for a higher evaluation based on current medical evidence.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected back disorder are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining VA and private treatment records, as well as SSA records. The case will be readjudicated after these records have been obtained.

The veteran's service-connected herniated nucleus pulposus at L5-S1 and traumatic arthritis of the lumbar spine are rated at 20 percent each, with no further increase in rating due to additional conditions or exposure.

The veteran's claim to reopen his service connection for a low back disorder was denied. His claim for an increased rating for generalized anxiety disorder was granted with a 50% rating effective from June 20, 2005. The veteran's claim for an increased rating for acne of the face, back, and shoulders was denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected lumbosacral strain does not render him unemployable due to his disability, as it is rated at 20% and does not meet the criteria for TDIU.