Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2014

The Board has reopened both claims and found that new and material evidence supports the reopening of these claims. The claim for service connection for a back disability is granted, as there is at least equipoise in favor of the appellant's contention that his current back disorder may be related to his period of service. The claim for service connection for the residuals of bilateral knee injury is also granted, with the examiner finding that there is a 50% or better probability that these conditions are etiologically related to his period of service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a low back condition is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining private medical records and VA medical records.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including verification of the Veteran's service dates and obtaining his complete service treatment records.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development, including obtaining private and VA treatment records and scheduling an examination. The Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for a lumbar spine disorder will be reconsidered after these actions.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional VA treatment records and a determination of his current disability severity. The issues of entitlement to service connection for shoulder pain, knee pain, and leg pain are also pending.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate examination and the need for an addendum opinion regarding whether the Veteran's low back disability is related to his service as a paratrooper.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of her claims, including obtaining updated treatment records and scheduling VA examinations.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete verification of periods of active duty, ACDUTRA and INACDUTRA. The Veteran's left knee, cervical spine, lumbar spine, and left ankle conditions are all under review for service connection.

The Veteran's degenerative disc disease, L5-S1, does not meet the criteria for a higher disability rating than 10 percent.

The Board finds that the Veteran's low back disability is not related to his active duty service and denies the claim. The COPD issue remains pending.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional medical records, arrange for VA examinations, and ensure that all due process requirements are met. The claims will be readjudicated after the completion of these actions.

The Veteran's low back disorder is found to be related to his active military service, and the Board grants service connection for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine.

The Board found that the Veteran's arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine was not incurred in or aggravated by active duty, and denied service connection.

The Board found no evidence of a nexus between the Veteran's service and his current back, cervical spine, or shoulder conditions. The Veteran's claimed disabilities are not presumed to have been incurred in service.

The Veteran's low back disability has been rated at 10 percent since the initial claim, with no higher rating granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's pre-existing bilateral pes planus was not aggravated by service, and his low back disability is not related to or aggravated by service. As such, these claims are denied.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his right and left knee disabilities, as well as degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, were granted. The initial ratings assigned are 10 percent for each knee strain and a combined rating of 20 percent for the low back disability.

The Veteran's lumbar and cervical spine disabilities were evaluated under the General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine. The Board found that his symptoms did not meet or approximate the criteria for a higher rating, as he could still flex his lumbar spine to 90 degrees without additional limitation due to pain or repetitive movement.

The Board has ordered additional development due to the need for medical opinions regarding service connection and rating issues. The Veteran's renal disability is being evaluated, as well as his low back disability.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including scheduling a VA examination to determine if the Veteran's low back disorder is aggravated by his service-connected GSW residuals with associated tibial neuralgia of the right lower extremity.