Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2009

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for a low back disability has been dismissed due to his death.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased evaluations were denied. The Board found no evidence of arthritis prior to May 1986, and the Veteran's lay statements do not constitute competent medical evidence.

The Board has remanded the case for scheduling a Travel Board Hearing at the RO in Montgomery, Alabama. The Veteran's appeal is not about service connection.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for cervical and lumbar spine disabilities, as well as the claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities. The Veteran is requested to undergo VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of any current cervical and lumbar spine disability and its relationship to his military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have currently diagnosed conditions such as sleep apnea, type II diabetes mellitus, major depression, or PTSD. The service connection claims for these conditions are therefore denied.

The Veteran's appeal for an increased evaluation of her service-connected arthritis of the lumbar spine was denied. The Board found that her disability did not meet or approximate criteria warranting a higher rating, as it did not result in unfavorable ankylosis and there were no incapacitating episodes during the past year.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for a low back disability, but finds that additional development is necessary regarding the underlying service connection claim.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for a right hand and wrist disability remains denied as new and material evidence has not been received.

The Board denied service connection for CTS of the right upper extremity and did not reopen the claim for low back disorder.

The Veteran's claim for an increased evaluation of his anterolisthesis of the lumbar spine, L5 on S1 with pain, status post facet screw fusion of L5-S1 was denied as he did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under the applicable diagnostic codes.

The Veteran's current diagnosis of degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine was not incurred during his military service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing or following substantially gainful employment consistent with his education and industrial background.

The Veteran's cervical spine disorder is not service-connected and his claim for an increased rating for his service-connected lumbar spine disability was denied.

The Board has granted service connection for a low back disability and found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss warrants a noncompensable evaluation.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for low back, left knee, and skin disabilities due to a lack of evidence showing these conditions were incurred in or aggravated by military service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded to obtain additional private treatment records from Dr. V.S.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a nervous disorder (claimed as PTSD) and residuals of lumbosacral strain. The appeals regarding bilateral hearing loss, impotence, migraine headaches, and chronic pes planus were also denied.

The Board found no evidence of a chronic low back disorder during service and denied the claim for service connection.

The VA determined that the Veteran's back disability was not incurred or aggravated during her honorable active service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for a low back condition and a bilateral leg condition, finding that there was no evidence of chronicity in service or continuity of symptoms after discharge. The Board also found that presumptive service connection is not applicable due to the long period between the Veteran's separation from service and the manifestation of his current conditions.

The Veteran's service connection claims for bilateral shoulder arthritis, degenerative joint disease/chronic low back pain, bilateral hand arthritis, right little finger disability, and bilateral knee disability have all been denied. The Board finds that the preponderance of evidence is against a finding that these conditions are related to active military service or events therein.,There is no credible evidence showing current disabilities for any of the claimed conditions.