Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2008

The veteran's claims for service connection were denied. His bilateral hearing loss was rated as 0 percent, hypertension as 0 percent, and back disability and undiagnosed illness-related arthralgias/myalgias were not found to be related to active military service or events therein.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to incomplete records and need for additional examination.

The veteran's residuals of a right ankle injury and lumbar spine strain are rated at the maximum allowable under VA rating criteria. The veteran is granted separate ratings for vitiligo with nummular dermatitis.

Service connection is granted for bilateral leg disability and low back disability (claimed as residuals of a broken tailbone), but service connection for head injury and PTSD are denied.,The veteran's current back conditions are related to an intercurrent work-related injury, not to any incident in service.

The veteran's traumatic arthritis of the lumbar spine is effectively productive of limitation of forward flexion to 30 degrees or less, warranting a 40 percent evaluation.

The Board has decided to remand the case for a VA examination due to insufficient evidence regarding an in-service back injury, and thus service connection may be granted.

The VA determined that the veteran's lumbosacral sprain disability did not warrant a rating higher than 40 percent, as there was no evidence of ankylosis or incapacitating episodes of intervertebral disc syndrome.

The Board has determined that no new and material evidence was submitted to reopen the veteran's claims for service connection for back, left hip, and right hip disorders. As such, these claims are denied.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including a VA examination to determine if the veteran's low back disability is related to her service-connected right foot disability.

The Board denied service connection for a bilateral ankle disability and a back disability, finding that the veteran did not have current disabilities related to his military service.

The Board found that the veteran's left ear hearing loss, cervical spine disability, and low back disability were not incurred or aggravated by service. The evidence did not support a finding of direct service connection for these conditions.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for low back, right leg, and left leg disorders due to a lack of competent medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied as his conditions did not warrant a higher rating under the applicable diagnostic codes.

The veteran's lumbosacral spine disability was initially rated at 10 percent from March 26, 2003 to March 30, 2008 and increased to 20 percent effective March 31, 2008.

The veteran is seeking an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for lumbosacral spine disability, and his case has been remanded due to a related claim of clear and unmistakable error (CUE) in a previous rating decision.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to his ability to engage in substantially gainful employment.

The Board found that the veteran's currently diagnosed arthritis of the right knee, cervical and lumbar spine is not proximately due to or aggravated by his service-connected left knee disabilities.

The veteran's claims for thoracolumbar disability, right hand disability, and gastroenteritis were denied. The decision found no current evidence of these conditions.

The Board denied service connection for the veteran's claimed degenerative arthritis conditions, finding that there was no evidence to support a link between his service-connected ulcerative colitis and these disabilities.

The veteran's claim for a total disability rating based upon individual unemployability (TDIU) is being remanded due to the need for additional medical examination and opinion regarding his service-connected disabilities.