Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2010

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various disorders were denied as there is no evidence of current disabilities or a relationship to military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and providing updated VA examinations.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder is proximately due to his service-connected bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The Board finds that service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder is warranted on a secondary basis.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining nexus opinions from a VA examiner regarding whether the Veteran's claimed right hamstring and low back disorders are related to his service-connected right knee disability.

The Board denied entitlement to service connection for left knee and low back disabilities, finding that the current diagnoses were not related to active duty service or service-connected right knee disability.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for his heart murmur was denied by the Board. The VA examiner found that the Veteran does not exhibit a workload greater than 7 METs but not greater than 10 METs or require continuous medication solely as a result of his service-connected heart murmur.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development and readjudication of the issues concerning service connection for a low back disorder, increased ratings for GERD and right knee arthritis.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a low back disability and hypertension were denied. His claim for an increased rating for cervical strain with degenerative joint disease and tension headaches was also denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for a higher rating for his lumbar spine disability and TDIU based on service-connected disabilities, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating or TDIU status.

The Veteran's mechanical low back pain is productive of characteristic pain on motion, and the Board has determined that a disability rating of 10 percent for this condition meets the criteria.

The Veteran's low back strain was rated at 10 percent prior to October 1, 2009 and increased to 40 percent effective October 1, 2009.

The Veteran's claim for a disability rating in excess of 40 percent for service-connected degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the lumbar spine was denied. The VA determined that the evidence did not meet the criteria for an increased rating under the applicable diagnostic codes.

The Board denied service connection for Osgood-Schlatter's disease of the right and left knees, as well as a back disability. The Veteran appealed this decision to the Court, which remanded the case for further adjudication.

The Veteran seeks to reopen his claim for service connection for a back disorder. The case is remanded due to the need for proper notice regarding new and material evidence.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a neurological examination to determine the level of neurologic impairment in the left upper extremity and whether a separate rating is warranted.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for service connection for arthritis of the lumbar spine, including as secondary to his service-connected lumbosacral strain or his service-connected multiple fractures of the pelvis with traumatic arthritis of the left hip. The case is being sent back for further development and consideration.

The Veteran's service-connected discogenic lumbosacral disc disease was rated at 20 percent effective November 30, 2007. The appeal is denied as the disability does not warrant a higher rating.

The Veteran's back disability is currently rated at 20 percent, and the Board found that there was no evidence of ankylosis or incapacitating episodes meeting the criteria for a higher rating.

The Veteran's heart condition is currently rated at 10 percent, and the Board found that it does not meet the criteria for a higher rating based on his current symptoms.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral upper extremity carpal tunnel syndrome is not related to her military service or a service-connected disorder, and thus denied her claim for service connection. The criteria for specially adapted housing were also not met due to the absence of loss or loss of use of both upper extremities as to preclude locomotion.