Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2008

The Board found no evidence of a back disability, tinnitus, or hearing loss during service. The current conditions were not shown to be related to service and the claim was denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's currently diagnosed low back, right eye, and left foot disorders are not related to military service. As such, these claims for service connection have been denied.

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

The veteran disagrees with the initial rating of 60 percent for his low back disorder and the case is being remanded to issue a Statement of the Case.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The RO found no compensable disability of the left femur, a noncompensable rating for right hip pain and bursitis, and no evidence to support service connection for depression.

The VA has determined that the veteran's service-connected degenerative disc disease of the lumbosacral spine with scoliosis warrants a 20 percent disability rating, effective October 22, 2004.

The Board found that the veteran's lumbar discogenic disease, post-spinal fusion at L3-L4, L4-L5, and L5-S1, warranted a reduction from 40% to 20% disabling effective August 1, 2006. The evidence showed improvement in her disability since May 2005.

The Board found that the veteran's lumbar strain does not meet or approximate the criteria for a higher initial disability rating, and thus denied his claim.

The Board has granted a 10 percent evaluation for the veteran's low back disability, effective June 1, 2006. The disability is rated under the General Formula of the spine and meets the criteria for this rating.

The Board has remanded the case due to unavailability of service medical records and a need for further examination to determine if the veteran's current lumbar spine, cervical spine, and neck burn scars are related to his military service.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including scheduling new VA examinations and requesting medical records from Fridley Medical Clinic.

The veteran seeks service connection for a low back disability. The Board finds that the requirements for duty to assist have not been met and remands the case for further medical assessment with a nexus opinion.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA records and conducting medical examinations to determine the etiology of the veteran's claimed conditions.

The Board found no evidence to support the veteran's claim that his current degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine is related to service, and denied the claim.

The Board has determined that the veteran's degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine with spinal stenosis is not related to service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Board of Veterans' Appeals has ordered the case remanded due to a lack of consideration of the veteran's service-related back pain and statements about his current condition.

The Board found no current disability for memory loss or a nervous disorder, and the VA examiner opined that diabetes mellitus is not proximately due to, the result of, or aggravated by service-connected disabilities.,Service connection was denied for nausea as there was no confirmed diagnosis in the medical records.

The veteran's claim for increased evaluation of his service-connected lumbar spine disability and a combined evaluation remains pending. The Board has ordered the case to be remanded for further development, including scheduling a VA examination.

The veteran's lumbar spine disability is currently rated at 20 percent, effective January 31, 1995. The left foot status post callus surgery was initially rated at 10 percent from January 31, 1995, and increased to 10 percent as of November 6, 2007.,The veteran's lumbar spine disability is currently rated at 20 percent. The left foot status post callus surgery was initially rated at 10 percent from January 31, 1995, and increased to 10 percent as of November 6, 2007.

The veteran's service-connected low back disability is rated at 20 percent, and he is also entitled to a separate rating for neurological manifestations of the lower extremities.