Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2014

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current low back disability is not related to his service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to his failure to report for a scheduled video conference hearing. The case will be processed again with the opportunity for a new hearing.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal concerning entitlement to service connection for a low back disability before the Board could make a decision.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and arranging for examinations to assess his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has remanded the case due to a scheduled hearing, and further development is needed before a decision can be made on the service connection claims.

The Board found that the Veteran's hearing loss and low back disability did not have their clinical onset in service or are otherwise related to active duty. The VA examination provided no evidence of a nexus between current disabilities and service.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a VA examination regarding his back disability and an SOC on the increased rating claim for left knee disability. The issues of service connection for a back disability and initial rating in excess of 10 percent for left knee disability are being addressed.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have a current back disability or degenerative disease that is causally related to his active service.

The Veteran's lumbar strain disability with degenerative arthritis was rated at 10 percent for the initial rating period from April 25, 2007 to December 13, 2010.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his lumbar spine disability was granted, with a current evaluation of 20 percent. Service connection for bilateral radiculopathy and right knee disability were also granted.

The Board has remanded the claims for additional procedural development due to a lack of review by the Veteran's representative.

The Veteran's claim for a higher initial rating for his service-connected lumbar spine DJD is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining treatment records and conducting a VA examination.

The Board found no evidence of a service connection for the Veteran's back disabilities, concluding that his current conditions are not related to his military service.

The Board has determined that the appellant's low back injury on December 6, 1981 resulted in an aggravation of a pre-existing congenital stenosis and subsequent development of discogenic disease. The claim for service connection is granted.

The Veteran's claims for increased rating and reopening of service connection were denied. The claim for an increased rating for the scar, status post appendectomy was not granted as it did not meet the criteria for a higher rating. The claims for left ankle tendon injury and back disability were denied due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of compliance with previous directives and an inadequate examination report. The Veteran's claim for service connection for a back disability will be reviewed again, including obtaining a new VA examination.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for psoriatic arthritis of the right hand, left hand, feet, and lumbar spine was granted by a December 2012 rating decision. The RO assigned noncompensable ratings prior to November 23, 2013, and 10 percent thereafter.

The Veteran's service-connected low back disability has been manifested by complaints of pain, productive of limitation of motion, without related objective neurologic abnormality. The criteria for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent have not been met.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his right hip cyst and lumbar spine disability were denied. The Board found that the current schedular evaluations adequately reflected the severity of these conditions.

The Board denied all issues on appeal, including service connection for depression, dental trauma, bilateral foot disability, and back disability. The Veteran's right total knee arthroplasty was rated at 30 percent from July 1, 2009, and the left knee arthritis/patellar tendonitis was rated at 10 percent.