Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2008

The Board found that the veteran's lumbar spine disorder was not incurred in or aggravated by active service, and is not related to a service-connected disability. The claim for direct service connection was denied.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including expanding service connection to include L2-5 pathology and considering an extraschedular rating due to the veteran's deteriorating lumbar spine disability.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for asthma and a back disorder, finding that new evidence did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claims. The Board also found no medical nexus between the current back condition and active duty service.

The veteran's appeal has been dismissed as the appellant requested withdrawal of all issues on appeal.

The Board granted increased evaluations for the veteran's low back, right foot, left foot, right hip, and left hip injuries. The evaluations are based on the severity of the disabilities as determined by VA criteria.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and increased ratings for left ankle disability and lumbar spondylosis with mechanical low back pain, finding that there was no evidence of a verified in-service stressor for PTSD and insufficient evidence to establish marked limitation of motion or disabling functional impairment for the other conditions.

The veteran does not have additional disability of the knees, low back, or hips as a result of VA knee surgeries in 1994.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for low back strain was granted, with a current evaluation of 20 percent. However, his secondary service connection claim for depression was denied.

The Board found that the veteran's low back disorder is not related to his service-connected shrapnel wound and denied the claim for secondary service connection.

The Board has decided to remand the veteran's claims for additional development due to incomplete records and need for further examination.

The veteran's low back strain is currently rated as 10 percent disabling, but does not meet the criteria for a higher rating under any diagnostic code.,Tendonitis of the right shoulder and left shoulder are both currently rated at 10 percent.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for his lumbar disc disease was granted, with the effective date being June 1, 2007. The veteran is now rated at 20 percent disabling.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for an earlier effective date prior to October 11, 1991, for the grant of service connection for residuals of a low back injury. The issue of entitlement to service connection for sarcoidosis of the lungs, claimed as removal of lymph nodes of the chest, secondary to service-connected residuals of a low back injury is remanded for further action.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings for mechanical low back pain and cervical osteoarthritis have been denied as the evidence does not support a higher rating under the amended spinal regulations.

The appeal has been withdrawn by the appellant before a decision was made.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim of service connection for a back disability due to new evidence submitted, but finds that the current condition is not related to his military service.

The Board denied service connection for a low back disorder and the attempt to reopen the claim for schizophrenia. The evidence received since the August 1998 RO rating decision did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating these claims.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence to support the veteran's claims for service connection for low back and right leg disabilities, finding that any current conditions are not related to his military service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed bilateral hip disorder and low back disorder were not incurred or aggravated by active service. The VA examiner found no current diagnosable bilateral hip disorder, lower back disorder, or heart murmur.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for increased ratings for low back strain with degenerative changes at L4-L5 have been denied as his conditions do not meet the criteria for a higher rating under any applicable diagnostic codes.