Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2013

The Veteran's low back and bilateral foot disabilities are being remanded for further development, including obtaining updated VA outpatient records and scheduling a VA examination to determine if they are related to his service-connected left knee disability.

The Veteran's DDD and DJD of the thoracolumbar spine is currently rated at 20 percent, but does not meet the criteria for a higher rating as it does not show forward flexion of the thoracolumbar spine of 30 degrees or less.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling the Veteran for a VA examination to assess the severity of his service-connected lumbar spine disability. The case will be readjudicated following this development.

The Board has granted service connection for a low back disorder, diagnosed as lumbar strain with anterior wedging at T12, finding that the Veteran's current disability is related to his in-service injury and continuity of symptomatology since service.

The Veteran's low back disorder is rated at the maximum allowable disability rating for limitation of motion. The left 3rd finger fracture has been rated at the maximum allowable disability rating for ankylosis or limitation of motion.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's cervical spine DDD is related to injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident during service, and thus grants the claim for service connection.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and providing a VA examination to determine if the Veteran's current low back disability is related to his military service or any incident therein.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling VA examinations to evaluate the Veteran's service-connected disabilities. The appeal is not yet decided.

The Board has granted the claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to service-connected disabilities, including low back disability and associated cervical spondylitis, constipation, and short-term memory loss.

The Board has determined that the current back disorder is not related to service and cannot be presumed due to exposure, thus denying the claim for service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for basal cell carcinoma, finding it etiologically linked to sun exposure during military service. Service connection was also granted for a low back disability, with the opinion that it is at least as likely as not related to service due to heavy lifting in service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a lumbar spine disorder on a direct basis and for right and left knee disorders. The evidence does not support granting these claims.

The Veteran's protruding disc of the lumbar spine, status-post discectomy, has been rated at 10 percent since June 18, 2008. The claim for an increased rating remains denied.

The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding that the Veteran's current lumbar spine disorder had its onset in service or was related to his in-service injury, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and consideration, including obtaining a new VA opinion regarding whether the Veteran's lumbar spine conditions are related to service-connected muscle strain of the low back.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability did not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation under the applicable rating criteria.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's low back disorder is proximately due to or aggravated by his service-connected right total knee replacement, and therefore grants service connection for a low back disorder.

The Board has ordered a remand to review the medical records and obtain an opinion regarding whether the Veteran's low back disability is related to service, specifically considering his congenital sacralization of the 5th lumbar vertebrae.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining a VA spine examination of the Veteran's lumbar spine disability and providing medical nexus opinions. The cervical spine issue remains before the Board.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral hearing loss and degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine, have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation. The Board has granted TDIU on an extraschedular basis.