Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2016

The Veteran's claim for an increased evaluation for his lumbar strain has been denied as the evidence does not show that his forward flexion of the thoracolumbar spine is limited to 30 degrees or less, or that he has ankylosis of the thoracolumbar spine.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a lumbar spine disorder, finding that there is no evidence of a chronic disability in service or within one year after service and noting that the weight of the evidence does not support a finding that his current condition is related to his military service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's TDIU claim due to inextricably intertwined issues with his Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment benefits under 38 U.S.C. Chapter 31.

The Veteran's claim for a higher initial rating for her lumbar spine strain was denied. The RO assigned an initial 10% disability rating effective May 1, 2010 and increased the rating to 20% disabling effective October 7, 2011.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability was granted a 40 percent rating effective June 7, 2010. The Board also found that the Veteran's left and right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy warranted separate ratings of 60 percent and 20 percent respectively.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's residuals of a back injury, characterized as degenerative joint and disc disease, are related to his military service. The claim is granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current lumbar spine disorder was not incurred during his active military service and is not related to his service. As a result, he does not meet the criteria for service connection.

The Board granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, ED secondary to DM, hypertension secondary to DM, and lumbar and cervical spine disabilities. The Board also granted a TDIU rating.

The Veteran's cervical spine disability is not rated higher than 20 percent, and his bilateral leg stress fractures do not warrant separate compensable ratings. The Board also found that the Veteran did not meet criteria for TDIU prior to March 1, 2012.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to his withdrawal of the appeal for service connection for a left varicocele. The Board found that he had bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus incurred in service.

The Veteran's claim to reopen his pes planus service connection was granted, and the Board found that the evidence raised a reasonable possibility of substantiating his claim. Service connection for pes planus is now granted.,Regarding the low back condition secondary to pes planus, the Board found that the Veteran's low back condition was aggravated by his service-connected pes planus.

The Veteran's cervical spine disability has not been shown to be related to service. The claims for bilateral hip and ankle disabilities have no evidence of current conditions during the appeal period. Service connection is denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need to obtain additional medical records and provide an addendum to the September 2010 VA examination report.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations for his service-connected lumbar degenerative disc disease and bilateral leg sciatica are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling VA examinations.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete records and further development is needed before a decision can be made on the Veteran's claim for service connection of his low back disorder.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU are being remanded due to the receipt of new evidence, which requires a VA examination. The issues will be reconsidered after the examination.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's lumbosacral strain is etiologically related to active service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has granted service connection for DDD of the lumbar spine and arthritis of the sacroiliac joints, finding that the Veteran's current back disability is related to his active service. The appeal regarding higher initial ratings for right hip DJD and left hip DJD remains pending.

The Board has granted service connection for residuals of a pilonidal cyst excision manifested as a scar, but denied service connection for low back disability, tailbone disability, and chronic fatigue syndrome (FDS).