Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2009

The Board denied service connection for a lumbar spine disability and a right knee disability, finding that the evidence did not establish a relationship between these disabilities and the veteran's military service or any service-connected condition.

The Board denied service connection for a left elbow disability, a left shoulder disability, and a low back disability as there is no evidence of current disabilities related to the veteran's active service.

The Board denied service connection for a low back condition and a bilateral knee condition as there was no relationship between the veteran's present disabilities and his military service.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, as there was no medical evidence or competent opinion linking a cardiovascular disease to any incident of service and no evidence that diabetes played a causative role in his death.

The appeal is remanded for additional development, including obtaining a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of the veteran's lumbar disc disease as secondary to his service-connected right knee disability.

The veteran's claims for increased initial evaluations for PTSD, residuals of a gunshot wound, bowel resection, and degenerative joint disease, lumbosacral spine, with metallic debris at posterior abdomen at L4-L5 were denied. The veteran was also denied an earlier effective date for the grants of service connection for these disabilities.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for cervical spine, lumbar spine, hemorrhoids, and right wrist ganglion cyst excision disabilities.

The veteran was granted a 10 percent rating for degenerative joint disease of the thoracic spine effective September 26, 2003. A 20 percent rating for degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine was also granted effective September 26, 2003.

The veteran's claims for service connection for mechanical low back pain, a left knee condition, and a right knee condition are being remanded for further development.

The Board denied service connection for left knee disability and remanded the issue of an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for lumbosacral strain due to a need for a new VA examination.

The veteran's claim for an earlier effective date was denied as the earliest possible effective date is the date of receipt of the reopened claim, which is May 23, 2003.

The veteran's claims for service connection and increased rating are being remanded to the RO for further development.

The Board denied service connection for the veteran's claimed conditions as there was no evidence of an inservice injury or disease and a nexus to his current disabilities.

The Board remands the issues of entitlement to service connection for diabetes mellitus, left ear disability, and lumbar spine disability for further development.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for his umbilical herniorrhaphy scar was denied, and the claims to reopen service connection for degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine, peripheral vascular disease, peripheral neuropathy of the left and right lower extremities, and peripheral neuropathy of the left and right hands were also denied.

The veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of TDIU was granted, with July 14, 2000 as the earliest possible effective date.

The veteran withdrew his appeal for service connection for a depressive disorder, and the issue is dismissed.

The Board found that the veteran was not entitled to an earlier effective date for a 10 percent rating for right sciatica or service connection for a lumbar spine surgical scar.

The veteran's service-connected extrinsic asthma is rated at 30 percent, and he was granted service connection for allergic rhinitis and a chronic left wrist sprain.

The Board denied service connection for PTSD, a neck disorder, and the reopening of a previously denied claim for a low back disorder due to lack of evidence supporting an association between these conditions and the veteran's active duty.