Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2007

The Board has determined that there is no evidence to support the veteran's claims for service connection for a back disability or bilateral numbness of the legs, and thus these claims are denied.

The veteran's death was not caused by or as a result of any service-connected disability. The Board denied the claim for DIC under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318 due to lack of entitlement to a total rating for at least five years prior to his death.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for pes planus, a bilateral knee disorder, and a back disorder as secondary to pes planus due to lack of evidence showing aggravation in-service or current disability.

The Board has ordered a VA examination to address the veteran's claims for service connection for right shoulder injury with brachial plexopathy and bulging disc of the lumbar spine and stenosis. The AOJ is required to schedule this examination.

The Board denied the veteran's petition to reopen his claim for service connection for DDD of the cervical spine. The RO granted a 10% rating for peripheral neuropathy of both lower extremities and denied an increased rating for DDD of the lumbar spine with disc bulging.

The Board has determined that the veteran's instability of the left knee does not warrant a rating higher than 20 percent.

The Board granted service connection for a back condition and an initial rating of 10 percent for patellofemoral syndrome of the left knee, effective from September 1999.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including scheduling a travel board hearing at the RO in Jackson, Mississippi.

The veteran was granted a 60 percent rating for his service-connected back disability effective March 1, 2000.,TDIU was also granted effective March 1, 2000.

The Board found that the veteran does not have a chronic low back disability due to disease or injury incurred in service, and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has requested additional VA medical records, specifically x-rays from December 2006 at Sayre VA Outpatient Clinic in Pennsylvania and outpatient treatment reports for the veteran's back. The case will be remanded to allow for these records to be secured and reviewed.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed chronic neck, back, left upper extremity (left shoulder and arm), and cardiovascular disorders were not incurred or aggravated during active service. The evidence does not support a finding of service connection for any of these conditions.

The Board of Veterans' Appeals (BVA) has denied the veteran's claim for an increased initial evaluation for lumbar myositis, currently rated at 10 percent.

The Board found that the veteran's low back disability did not begin in service and was not shown to be related to his active duty. The preponderance of evidence does not support a finding that any current low back disability is due to service.

The veteran's claim for a higher evaluation for degenerative joint disease of the lumbosacral spine with osteophytes was denied. Service connection for a right hamstring disorder remains pending.

The Board found that the veteran does not have a back condition or bilateral hearing loss as a result of service. The claim for these conditions was denied.

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

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development, including verifying the veteran's periods of Army Reserve service and scheduling a VA orthopedic examination.

The Board has denied the veteran's application to reopen his claim for service connection for a low back condition, finding that new and material evidence was not submitted.

The Board has remanded the case due to outstanding treatment records from a private physician, Dr. Irizarry.