Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2007

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have diagnosed conditions such as low back disorder, cervical spine disorder, multiple joints arthritis, bilateral ankle disorder, bilateral knee disorder, or shin splints. Therefore, service connection for these conditions cannot be established.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including migraine headaches, tinnitus, gastroesophageal disease (GERD), irritable bowel syndrome, chest pain, a low back disorder, and PTSD.

The Board denied increased evaluations for the veteran's lumbar spine disability, left hand graphospasm, and right hand graphospasm. The lumbar spine disability was found to not meet criteria for a higher than 10 percent evaluation.

The Board has awarded a 20 percent rating for the veteran's cartilaginous tumor of the left ilium with residuals of an injury to the lumbar spine with DDD, effective March 2004.

The Board found no evidence linking the veteran's current degenerative joint and disc disease of the low back to his military service, including any in-service injuries. The most persuasive medical opinions concluded that the condition is not related to service.

The VA has denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss and low back strain, as his conditions do not meet the criteria for a higher rating under the applicable diagnostic codes.

The Board has determined that the veteran's lumbar spine disorder was not incurred in or aggravated by active service and is not otherwise related to service. The claim for service connection is denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for scoliosis of the thoracic spine, a lumbar spine disability with left lower extremity radiculopathy, squamous cell carcinoma of the mouth, and a psychiatric disorder to include anxiety, depression, and manic depression.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for neuropathy of the right leg and a right elbow disorder, finding no current evidence of these conditions or any link to his service-connected lumbosacral strain with chronic myositis.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current degenerative joint disease of the bilateral knees and lumbar spine are not related to his service, as there is no evidence of a chronic disability during service or within one year after separation. The VA examiner found that the current diagnoses are more likely due to aging and weight.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claims for service connection for a low back disorder and a heart disorder, finding new and material evidence. The current medical evidence shows that the veteran has these conditions.,Service connection is granted for the veteran's current heart disorder as it was incurred in service.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a chronic lumbar spine disability as a result of service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Board found no evidence linking the veteran's current low back, tailbone, or neck/cervical spine disabilities to his service. The VA examinations and medical records did not support a finding that any of these conditions were incurred in or aggravated by service.

The veteran's claims for muscle spasms and Persian Gulf War syndrome were denied. However, the Board found that his irritable bowel syndrome is proximately due to a service-connected disability (fibromyalgia), thus granting this claim.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining medical records and providing a VA examination to determine if the veteran's degenerative disc disease of the lumbosacral spine was incurred in or is related to military service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for headaches, cysts of the body, memory loss due to an undiagnosed illness, low back pain due to an undiagnosed illness, and chronic fatigue due to an undiagnosed illness. The evidence did not show that these conditions were incurred in or aggravated by active service.

The veteran's lumbar spine arthritis was initially rated at 10% prior to September 26, 2003. After the effective date of September 26, 2003, his condition warranted a rating of 20%. The current rating is for the period after September 26, 2003.

The veteran's claim for increased evaluations for his low back strain was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation from February 27, 1993, through August 21, 1996, and in excess of 10 percent from August 21, 1996, under the applicable rating criteria.

The veteran has withdrawn all her appeals, including those for various disabilities and service connection claims.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for further examination and consideration of his claim for increased ratings for low back strain with central disc protrusion.