Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2015

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current low back disability is causally related to his active service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including new VA examinations and the provision of a statement of the case on his GSW residuals claim.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for low back disorder and cervical spine disorder, finding that his current conditions are related to his military service. The dental condition claim was withdrawn by the Veteran.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate examination and missing VA treatment records. The Veteran's claim for service connection for a back disorder will be reconsidered with new evidence.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further development, including a new VA examination and obtaining treatment records. The Veteran's claim of entitlement to a rating greater than 40 percent for lumbosacral strain is being returned to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional Office for additional consideration.

The Veteran's DDD of the cervical spine is found to be proximately due to or aggravated by his service-connected disabilities, specifically his DDD of the lumbar spine and right leg shortening. His prostate cancer was not incurred in or aggravated by service and may not be presumed to have been incurred therein.

The Board found that the Veteran's low back disability is not service-connected and denied his claim for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for a ganglion cyst of the right wrist.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and consideration, including a new VA examination to address the etiology of all symptoms related to the Veteran's claimed bilateral hip disability, to include a back disorder.

The Board has granted a rating of 30 percent for post-traumatic lumbar arthritis with residual L1 compression deformity and an initial rating of 20 percent for left L5 radiculopathy with foot drop, effective from March 4, 2009.

The Veteran's appeal is about a higher rating for his service-connected thoracolumbar spine disability, specifically regarding neurological manifestations and whether he should receive a separate rating based on incapacitating episodes. The case has been remanded to obtain additional medical opinions and records.

The Veteran's service-connected low back disability is currently evaluated at 60 percent, and the Board finds that this evaluation adequately reflects the severity of his condition. The evidence does not support a higher rating.

The Veteran's claims for higher initial ratings for cervical and right shoulder disabilities were denied as the evidence did not show that her symptoms more nearly approximated the criteria for a rating in excess of 20 percent or 10 percent, respectively.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and effective dates have been granted. The initial compensable rating for right shoulder bursitis prior to January 29, 2013 has also been granted.

The Veteran's fibromyalgia, bilateral knee disabilities, and back disability are found to be related to his active service. The Board grants the claims for these conditions.

The case is being remanded for further development to determine the etiology of the Veteran's claimed disabilities and to obtain any outstanding records.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to evaluate his cervical and lumbar degenerative disc disease, as well as any associated neurological disorders. The claims for higher ratings for the spine conditions are also being remanded.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his lumbosacral strain with mild to minimal broad-based disc bulge at L4-5 and L5-S1 is being remanded due to the need for proper development of the record, including providing a Supplemental Statement of the Case (SSOC) considering all evidence since February 2009.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's neck and right arm disabilities are not related to her service or a service-connected condition.

The Veteran's appeal involves multiple service-connected and undiagnosed illness-related claims, including for various musculoskeletal issues, tinnitus, sleep disorders, gastrointestinal problems, and psychiatric conditions. The case is being remanded to obtain additional medical records and authorize VA access to private treatment records.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate reasons and bases in its August 2014 decision, specifically regarding the adequacy of an August 2012 VA examination report.