Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2009

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for degenerative changes of the lumbosacral spine secondary to a shell fragment wound, and for initial compensable evaluations for residual scars on the left axilla and buttock.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss in the left ear, a back disability, hepatitis C, chronic disability manifested by blood in the urine, bladder cancer, and melanoma were denied as there was no evidence of a current disability or that these conditions were related to his military service.

The Board denied service connection for chronic cervicalgia, status-post cervical laminectomy for stenosis and a back disability as there is no evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's period of active duty.

The appeal is remanded for a current VA examination to determine the current degree of severity of the Veteran's service-connected low back disability.

The Veteran's degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, status post fusion, was found to be service-connected. However, he does not have a right ear hearing loss disability.

The Board denied the claims for service connection for hypertension, a psychiatric disability, and back disability. The claims for degenerative arthritis of the right hip and total left hip replacement were reopened but ultimately denied on the merits.

The Board remands the claim for an increased initial rating for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine to schedule a new examination.

The Board denied service connection for high cholesterol as it is not a disability resulting from an injury or disease incurred in active duty.

The appeal is remanded to the RO for a contemporaneous and thorough VA examination due to the lack of recent medical evidence and the need to reassess the severity of the Veteran's lumbar spine disability.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, finding that the evidence did not support higher ratings or establish service connection for any of the claimed conditions.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension and a rating in excess of 20 percent for his right knee disability were denied. The Board also remanded the issues related to lumbar spine degenerative disc disease, left knee disability, and major depressive disorder.

The Board denied service connection for tinnitus, a low back disability, and a right foot stress fracture. The Veteran's recurrent aphthous stomatitis does not warrant a compensable rating, and the initial evaluation for irritable bowel syndrome remains at 10 percent.

The Veteran's left foot and ankle disability is service-connected.

The Board granted service connection for left and right foot disorders, but denied service connection for hemorrhoids. The claims for knee and lumbar spine disorders were remanded.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, as there was no basis in law to assign an earlier effective date.

The Board denied service connection for cervical and lumbar spine disorders, granted a 100 percent rating for PTSD, but did not grant a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disability.

The Board remands the case for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a new VA examination to assess the severity of the Veteran's service-connected low back disability.

The Board denied service connection for hypertension, right knee condition, lower back condition, and right wrist condition as there was no evidence of a current diagnosis in-service or post-service.

The Board remands the case for additional development, including a new VA examination to assess the current severity of the Veteran's right knee and lumbar spine disabilities.

The appeal of the rating issue is remanded to obtain records from the Social Security Administration (SSA) that may support the veteran's claims.