Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2013

The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the Veteran's claims, including a VA examination and review of recent medical records. The case will be remanded to the RO for further action.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, back disability, and bilateral knee disability were denied as there is no evidence of current disabilities or in-service injury/illness that could be linked to these conditions.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim and found that new evidence supports a finding of service connection for osteoarthritis, degenerative joint disease, and degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine. The Board resolved all reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate examination opinions and the need for addendum opinions regarding the Veteran's left hip, left leg, and low back disabilities.

The Board finds that the Veteran's current right ankle disability is related to service, specifically an in-service injury during active duty. The back disability is not related to service as it was not caused by or aggravated by the right ankle disability.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current condition is related to noise exposure during active military service. For his bilateral hearing loss and myofascial lumbar syndrome claims, a VA examination was conducted, but further clarification on etiology is needed as the examiner did not consider in-service noise exposure or other relevant post-service medical history.

The case is being remanded to the Board for further consideration at the RO level due to a change in the hearing officer.

The Veteran's appeal involves multiple conditions, including left rotator cuff dysfunction, low back disability, headaches, acne, and alopecia. The issues are related to service connection for these conditions, with the primary focus being on whether they are directly related to his military service or due to an undiagnosed illness.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, lumbar degenerative disc disease, right leg numbness, and hemochromatosis were denied as they are not service-connected. The Board found that the conditions did not develop during or due to military service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral knee, foot, and radiculopathy of the right lower extremity disabilities were not addressed in this decision. The low back disability claim was denied for increased evaluations prior to September 10, 2007, and from that date onwards.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including a right knee disorder, left hip disorder, right hip disorder, low back disorder, kidney disorder, and TBI with headaches, have been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support establishing service connection for these conditions.,reasoning_on_deciding_factor_1_sentence_only

The case is being remanded for further development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's claimed disabilities.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for left foot and low back disabilities, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and his military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed conditions, including uterine fibroids, right shoulder disorder, and low back disorder, are not related to her military service. The claims for service connection have been denied.

The Board has remanded the claims for further development due to insufficient VA examinations and additional evidence may be received. The hypertension claim is deferred until other claims are finally adjudicated.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral pes planus, low back pain, and hypertension as the Veteran's conditions were not shown to be incurred or aggravated by active duty service.

The Board has ordered a remand due to the need for additional medical records and examination regarding the Veteran's back and left knee disabilities. The claims will be reviewed again after these are obtained.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for a disability rating greater than 40 percent for lumbar spine disability and service connection for bilateral leg disabilities, to include radiculopathy, claimed as secondary to service-connected lumbar spine disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current low back disability, diagnosed as facet hypertrophy and degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, is etiologically related to his active duty service. As such, the claim for service connection is granted.