Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2007

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining medical opinions regarding the veteran's current back and head injuries and their relationship to service.

The case is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and arranging for VA examinations to assess the severity of the veteran's low back disorder and right knee disorder. The RO/AMC will also ensure proper VCAA notice has been provided.

The veteran's service-connected low back strain disability has resolved, and his current symptoms are related to a non-service connected lumbar degenerative disc disease with disc herniations and lumbar radiculopathy as a result of a June 1998 work injury. As such, the claim for an increased rating must be denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's back disability warrants a rating of 40 percent, effective March 19, 2003. The claim for an earlier effective date is denied.

The veteran is seeking service connection for a back disability, but the claim has been remanded due to incomplete medical records.

The Board found no evidence of a chronic spine condition in service and insufficient medical evidence to link current spinal disabilities to military service.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to missing service medical records and other relevant documents.

The Board found no evidence of arthritis or musculoskeletal disorders during service, and the VA examiner's opinions did not support a link between current conditions and service. The veteran's complaints are attributed to aging rather than service.

The veteran's low back disability is rated at 40 percent, which includes both orthopedic and neurological manifestations. The neurological manifestations are rated separately as mild incomplete paralysis of the sciatic nerve.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to incomplete service records and the need for medical examinations.

The Board found that the appellant abandoned his claim for service connection for sacroiliac arthritis in November 1945 and did not provide adequate evidence within one year of a scheduled VA examination. The claims for left lower extremity radiculitis were granted with an effective date of June 10, 2004.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for Osgood-Schlatter's disease of the right and left knees, as well as a back disability. The evidence does not support current diagnoses or show that any disabilities are related to service.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for service connection for a back disability, finding that there is no competent evidence linking the condition to service and no presumptive service connection due to the long period between separation from active duty and diagnosis of the disorder.

The VA Board of Veterans' Appeals has determined that the veteran's current back disability is not related to his military service and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Board is remanding the case to determine if there is a causal relationship between the veteran's current low back disability and an in-service motor vehicle accident, taking into account his documented medical history.

The veteran's appeal for service connection for a stomach disorder has been withdrawn. The remaining issues of whether new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen claims for low back, left shoulder, and right hip disorders are remanded.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased evaluations for lumbosacral strain, finding that the evidence did not meet the criteria for an evaluation in excess of 10 percent from May 31, 2000 to January 30, 2003 and on and after January 30, 2003.

The Board has remanded the veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence in the record, particularly regarding his back and left knee disabilities. The RO is instructed to arrange for a VA examination and obtain additional medical opinions.

The Board has determined that the veteran's back disorder did not manifest during service or within one year thereafter, and there is no evidence of a chronic disability resulting from such an injury. Therefore, the claim for service connection for a back disorder is denied.

The veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for a back disability is being remanded due to the need for a new hearing before a Veterans Law Judge.