Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2014

The Board found no evidence to support service connection for a back disability, lower extremity radiculopathy, or neuropathy of the right lower extremity. The Veteran's claims were denied.

The Veteran is service-connected with several conditions, including DDD of the lumbosacral spine. The care provided on September 10, 2011, was for an adjudicated service-connected disability and in a medical emergency where delay would have been hazardous to life or health. VA facilities were not feasibly available at the time.

The Board has remanded the case for a Travel Board hearing and further development.

The Veteran's claim for compensation under the provisions of 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 for additional disability to the low back, legs, and lower extremities as a result of VA surgery in April 2007 was denied.

The Board found that the Veteran's degenerative disc disease and arthritis with bilateral neuropathy of the lower extremities did not manifest in service or within one year thereafter, and are not related to any event or incident of his active service. The Veteran's current conditions were determined to be unrelated to his service-connected myofascial strain.

The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to a failure to schedule a videoconference hearing as requested by the Veteran.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's back disorder, bilateral leg disorders, bilateral hip disorders, and bilateral knee disorders are all service connected as they were aggravated by his service-connected pes planus.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a low back disorder, finding that there was no evidence of in-service incurrence or aggravation and insufficient continuity of symptomatology to establish service connection.

The Board denied service connection for carpal tunnel syndrome and a back disability, finding that the Veteran's conditions did not manifest in service or within one year of service. The Board also found no link between these conditions and service.

The Veteran is granted a 20 percent rating for his thoracolumbar spine disability as of December 31, 2013. The claim for TDIU remains pending.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining a new VA opinion to address whether the Veteran's low back disability is related to his service or any service-connected conditions.

The Board found no evidence linking the Veteran's current low back disorder to his military service, including his pilonidal cyst surgeries. The examiner concluded that the back condition is not related to the pilonidal cysts.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to inadequate examination and failure to consider all relevant evidence, including lay statements of symptoms during service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a low back disability related to service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Board found that the Veteran's low back disability is not related to his military service and denied both his claim for a low back disability and his secondary depression claim.

The Veteran's low back disorder was initially rated at 10 percent disabling prior to July 31, 2013. The evidence does not support a higher rating for this condition.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection were denied. The Board found no evidence to support the claims and noted that the disabilities in question did not manifest within one year of separation from service.

The Veteran is unable to maintain substantially gainful employment due to her service-connected depressive disorder and chronic lumbar strain, which have resulted in a combined rating of 70 percent.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining Social Security Administration records and scheduling a video conference hearing.

The Veteran's appeal was denied for a disability rating in excess of 10 percent for his lumbar spine spondylolisthesis and service connection for cervical spondylosis, with no new evidence provided to reopen the claim.