Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2014

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a new examination to assess the severity of his lumbar spine disability and obtaining relevant medical records. The issue of entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) is also inextricably intertwined with this claim.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection of a low back disorder and right knee and hip disorders. Further development is required to determine if these conditions are related to his active service, including his service-connected left knee disability.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for updated VA examinations and additional treatment records. The Veteran's lumbosacral spine and left knee disabilities are at issue.

The Board has reopened the claim for residuals of a low back injury due to new and material evidence. The left wrist injury claim remains closed as no new and material evidence was submitted.

The Board finds that additional development is needed to determine if the Veteran's current low back conditions are due to aggravation of pre-existing disabilities during her period of active duty, and whether there is clear and unmistakable evidence that any pre-existing disability did not undergo an increase in severity during service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim of service connection for a lumbar spine disability, finding that new and material evidence was not submitted to reopen the previously denied claim.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's lumbar spine disability and cervical spine disability were not incurred in or aggravated by service, and may not be presumed to have been incurred in service. The claim for secondary service connection for cervical spine disability was also denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a hearing. The issues of PTSD and lumbar spine disability ratings are also being addressed.

The Veteran's claim for a benefit level in excess of 80 percent for educational assistance benefits under the Post-9/11 GI Bill is denied as his discharge was not due to a service-connected disability.

The Veteran seeks service connection for a low back disability, which he claims is related to an injury sustained during active duty. The Board has determined that additional development is needed due to the lack of available service treatment records and the need for a VA examination.

The Board denied reopening the claim of service connection for mechanical low back pain in October 2002, finding that any current back disorder was not related to service. The RO subsequently denied reopening the claim again in July 2004 due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's back condition is not related to his active service and does not meet the criteria for presumptive service connection.,Regarding the respiratory disability, the VA examiner opined that the Veteran's intermittent dyspnea is more likely due to emotional issues rather than an underlying lung disease. The requested pulmonary function test results are needed for a complete evaluation.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a Travel Board Hearing at the RO.

The Veteran's degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine has been rated at 20 percent, reflecting a functional loss due to pain that more closely resembles limited forward flexion.

The Veteran's back disability is found to be related to injuries sustained during service, and the claim for service connection is granted.

The Board has determined that the evidence is in relative equipoise with regard to whether the Veteran's bilateral ankle disorder, bilateral knee disorder, and lumbar spine disorder are secondary to his service-connected pes planus. As a result, these claims have been granted.

The Board found that the Veteran's current lumbar and cervical spine disabilities are not related to his active service, thus denying his claims for service connection.

The Board denied the Veteran's request to reopen his claim for service connection of a back disability, as well as his claims for increased ratings for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss. The decision found that new evidence did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim, and that the current evaluations were appropriate.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities (tinnitus, dorso-lumbar strain, and bilateral hearing loss) do not prevent him from securing and following substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for a back disability, which he claims was caused by an injury during military service. The Board has decided to remand the case for further development and consideration.