Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2016

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development to determine the etiology of his cervical and lumbar spine disorders.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the Veteran's claims for service connection for arthritis of both knees. However, service connection is not granted as there is no competent medical evidence showing a link between current knee conditions and military service. The claim for chronic low back disorder remains denied due to lack of in-service incurrence or continuity of symptomatology.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's claimed right knee, left knee, and low back disabilities. However, the claim for a right arm disability is denied. The Veteran's non-service connected pension benefits are also denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a new VA examination to assess the severity of his service-connected degenerative disk disease lumbosacral spine and radiculopathy of the right lower extremity, as well as any additional objective neurological abnormalities. The issue will be returned to the Board after the examination.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his lumbar spine disability is granted, effective July 2008.,His claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for left lower extremity radiculopathy is granted, effective July 2008.,His claim for a temporary total rating due to convalescence following surgery is denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been granted, with the exception of those related to PTSD and depressive disorder. The remaining conditions are either already established or not yet determined.

The Board has granted service connection for lumbar spine degenerative arthritis and bilateral hip strain as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected left knee degenerative arthritis. The initial rating for the left knee condition remains at 20 percent.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding his claimed disabilities and their relationship to military service. The case will be returned to the Board after these opinions have been obtained.

The Veteran's service connection claim for PTSD with bipolar disorder was granted, and an initial disability rating of 70 percent was assigned.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a new examination to assess the current severity of his lumbar spine and left ankle sprain disabilities.

The Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine disability alone did not render him unemployable as he was able to perform a sedentary job with freedom of movement in an eight-hour workday.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus. The Veteran's claims for hypertension, acquired psychiatric disability (insomnia and depression), numbness of bilateral upper arms, headaches, and degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine prior to August 20, 2009 and after October 31, 2009 are denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a back disability related to her active service and therefore denied her claim for service connection.

The Board found that the Veteran's service-connected conditions did not cause or contribute substantially to his death, and thus denied the claim for service connection for the cause of death.

The Veteran's right femur stress fracture residuals are currently rated as 10 percent disabling, and the evidence does not support a higher rating.,Service connection for a low back disability is denied as there is no evidence that it is secondary to service-connected residuals of a right femur stress fracture.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeal for a rating in excess of 40 percent for chronic lumbar strain due to withdrawal by the Veteran's representative. The issue of an effective date earlier than April 1, 2015, for payment of additional compensation for the Veteran's dependent spouse is remanded.

The Board finds that the Veteran's current hip, spine, and knee disabilities are not related to his in-service near-fall injury. The evidence does not support a finding of service connection for these conditions.,The VA examiners found no specific diagnoses for the Veteran's thoracolumbar spine, cervical spine, or bilateral knee disabilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's lumbosacral spine degenerative disc disease, spondylosis, and lordosis straightening originated during active service and grants service connection for these conditions.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to an error in addressing certain medical evidence and for a new examination.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's back disorder is related to his service-connected right knee disability and grants service connection for this condition.