Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2014

The Board has granted service connection for allergic rhinitis, finding that the Veteran's long history of treatment and current use of allergy medication support a diagnosis of this condition. The other conditions were not found to be related to service.

The Board has ordered a remand due to the need for additional medical examinations and records, particularly regarding cervical and lumbar spine disabilities. The Veteran reported experiencing neck and back pain since service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of his neck disorder and upper extremity paresthesia.

The Board has remanded the case for scheduling a videoconference hearing due to the Veteran's failure to attend an earlier scheduled hearing.

The Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine arthritis and left knee medial meniscus tear have been rated at the maximum available rating of 40 percent. The right knee DJD claim was granted, but no increased rating has been awarded.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a back condition and for service aggravation of bilateral pes planus, finding that there was no evidence to support these claims.

The Veteran does not have bilateral hearing loss or a low back disability that is attributable to active military service.,While the Veteran reported noise exposure during service, his separation examination showed normal hearing thresholds. His current hearing loss may be related to civilian noise exposure.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for a low back disorder was denied as the evidence did not support a link between her current condition and her military service.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to determine if the appellant's right knee disorder existed prior to his period of active duty for training in July 1966 or resulted from an injury while shoveling dirt in July 1966.

The Veteran's claim for an increased disability rating for his service-connected lumbosacral strain is being remanded due to the failure of the VA medical facility to contact him regarding a scheduled examination, and because there is no indication that the VAMC provided notice of the April 2012 scheduled examination. The case will be returned to the RO/AMC for further development.

The Veteran's service-connected lumbar spondylolysis and strain with dextroscoliosis, left knee DJD with PFS, right knee DJD with PFS, allergic rhinitis, and hemorrhoids have been granted initial evaluations. The lumbar condition received a noncompensable evaluation prior to June 25, 2008, and a 10 percent evaluation from that date forward. The left and right knee conditions each received a 10 percent evaluation effective May 1, 2006. Allergic rhinitis was assigned a noncompensable evaluation, while hemorrhoids were given a noncompensable evaluation.

The Board has determined that there is no current evidence of a left knee disability, back disability, or respiratory disorder that was incurred in or aggravated by service. The Veteran's STRs show treatment for knee problems during service but no ongoing symptoms post-service.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for left lumbar radiculopathy is being remanded due to the need for additional examination and development of his treatment records.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate opinion regarding whether the Veteran's cervical and lumbar arthritis are aggravated by her service-connected tardive dyskinesia. The Veteran should be scheduled for another VA examination.

The Board found no evidence to support a service connection for the Veteran's low back disability, including ruptured disc, arthritis, and spondylosis. The preponderance of the evidence showed that these conditions were not incurred or aggravated by active service.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to incomplete records and inadequate medical opinions regarding the appellant's hearing loss and low back disorder.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus, respiratory disability (claimed as due to exposure to asbestos), and low back injury residuals were denied. The claim for higher initial rating for PTSD was not addressed in this decision.

The Veteran's claims for extraschedular consideration are being remanded due to the need to obtain his employment records from Devers Elementary School and DFAS.

The Board found that the Veteran's degenerative joint disease and degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine with radiculopathy were not related to service or a service-connected condition, and denied her claim for service connection.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for TDIU was denied as he did not meet the schedular criteria for a TDIU prior to April 11, 2012. The case was referred to the Director of Compensation and Pension Service (C & P) for consideration on an extraschedular basis, but the C & P Director determined that TDIU should not be granted on an extraschedular basis prior to April 11, 2012.