Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2010

The Veteran's tinnitus is related to his military service and the Board has granted service connection for this condition. The claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, flat feet, ankle pain, low back pain, and headaches are remanded due to incomplete information regarding active duty periods.

The Board has determined that additional medical examinations and opinions are needed to properly adjudicate the Veteran's claims for service connection due to the complexity of her conditions and their potential relationship to her active duty service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from performing the duties of a TSA baggage screener, and his current occupation is not unsuitable based on his specific employment handicap and capabilities.

The Board has ordered the case to be remanded for a VA examination and further development due to previous remand orders not being complied with.

The Board found that the Veteran's back disability did not have onset in active service and is not otherwise etiologically related to active service, thus denying his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's claim for an increased evaluation of his low back disability, including service connection and a temporary total disability rating due to surgery in September 2004, was granted. He is now rated at 40 percent for his low back disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis for any of his claimed disabilities and therefore, service connection cannot be granted.

The Board's May 2009 decision and remand order is vacated due to the Veteran's death in July 2007, and the appeal is dismissed for lack of jurisdiction.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a lumbosacral spine disability, a disability of the eyelid, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus were all denied. The Board found no current evidence of these conditions.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for bilateral hearing loss has been withdrawn. The claim for tinnitus was not granted as there is no medical evidence indicating a link between the condition and his military service. The Veteran's degenerative changes of the lumbosacral spine are currently rated at 20 percent, but an increased rating is denied.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, a cerebral vascular accident, and back disability with radiculopathy. The new evidence supports these claims by establishing that the conditions are related to active service.

The Veteran's claims for increased rating and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and development of records.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine related to his military service and denied his claim. The issue of seizure disorder is addressed in the REMAND portion.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and the Board is dismissing the case.

The Board found no evidence of a chronic low back disorder related to service and denied the Veteran's claim for service connection.

The Board is remanding the Veteran's claims for service connection due to missing inpatient treatment records from his period of service.

The Veteran's PTSD was manifested by not more than definite occupational and social impairment due to symptoms that included depressed mood, sleeplessness, and anxiety prior to June 26, 1996. The rating for PTSD has been increased to 100 percent effective in June 1996.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete records and need for further examination regarding service connection claims.

The Board found no credible medical evidence linking the Veteran's current low back disorder to his military service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's right shoulder injury is not service-connected. However, he has been granted service connection for cervical spine sprain and degenerative changes of the cervical spine, as well as lumbar spine sprain and degenerative changes of the lumbar spine.