Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2009

The Board finds that the Veteran's low back disability, manifested by bulging discs at L3-L4 and L4-L5 of the lumbar spine, is due to a parachute accident during service. Therefore, service connection for this condition is granted.

The claims of service connection for arthritis, low back disorder, and bilateral hearing loss were not reopened. The claim of service connection for tinnitus was granted.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is being remanded for further development, including a VA examination to determine if it is caused or permanently worsened by his service-connected right and/or left knee disabilities.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical evidence and a need for further examination.

The Board has granted service connection for a low back disorder and awarded an increased rating of 10 percent for post-traumatic headaches. The decision is based on the Veteran's in-service injury, with reasonable doubt resolved in his favor.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for back and left shoulder disabilities, finding that new and material evidence has been received. The claims will now be reviewed on their merits.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar spine, right hip, left knee patellofemoral syndrome and chondromalacia, and status post right knee arthroscopy are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and consideration of new evidence.

The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 40 percent for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine was denied, and his claim for service connection for a left knee disorder to include as secondary to service-connected bilateral pes planus was also denied.

The Board found that the Veteran did not have a chronic low back disorder during service and that his current low back disorder is not related to his military service. The psychiatric claim was also denied.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from substantially gainful employment, consistent with his education and occupational experience.

The Board has granted increased disability ratings for the Veteran's service-connected lumbar and cervical spine disabilities, with a separate rating assigned for demonstrable deformity of the lumbar vertebral column.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a gastrointestinal disability and a low back disability, finding that there was no evidence to support these conditions as being related to his military service.

The Veteran's low back disability is not rated higher than the assigned initial evaluations before and after March 3, 2009.

The Board found that the Veteran's bipolar disorder, low back disability, and bilateral foot and great toe disabilities were not related to his service. The claims for these conditions were therefore denied.

The Veteran's DDD of the lumbosacral spine is currently rated at 20 percent, and his radiculopathy and neuropathy of the left lower extremity are rated at 10 percent. The Board has determined that a higher rating is warranted for both conditions.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for irritable bowel syndrome and low back strain, which he contends began in service. The VA examiner's opinion was inadequate as it did not consider the Veteran's reported history of symptoms.

The Board found no evidence that the Veteran's low back disorder was incurred or aggravated by active duty service, and thus denied her claim for service connection.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral knee disability, finding that it is proximately due to his service-connected bilateral pes planus. The lumbar spine condition was not addressed in this decision.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection, new and material evidence to reopen claims, and TDIU due to incomplete review of additional medical records and failure to complete requested actions in prior remands.