Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2017

The Veteran's claim for service connection of a low back disability was denied as there is no evidence of a current disability that manifested during or as a result of active military service.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of her service-connected thoracolumbar spine disability. The case will be returned to the Board after the examination.

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

The Veteran's appeal regarding the evaluation of his left knee osteoarthritis, right knee injury with post-traumatic osteoarthritis, and degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine has been dismissed as the Veteran withdrew these claims prior to a decision being made.

The Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation (SMC) due to the need for regular aid and attendance of another person or being housebound is remanded for further development, including obtaining a VA examination to determine if his service-connected conditions alone result in the need for such benefits.

The Veteran's appeal for a TDIU was granted, and her appeals for increased ratings for PTSD, low back disability, right knee disability, and left knee disability were dismissed due to her agreement to withdraw those claims in exchange for the grant of TDIU.

The Veteran's back disability, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus were not incurred or aggravated by service.,Service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current lumbar spine disability, including a L1 compression fracture and lumbosacral spine degenerative disease, is related to his active service. The claim for service connection is granted.

The Board found no credible evidence of in-service injury or incident for the Veteran's left hip and low back disorders, resulting in a denial of service connection.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining a VA medical opinion and obtaining relevant VA treatment records.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current low back disability, diagnosed as degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, had onset within one year of service discharge and is therefore presumed to be related to his military service.

The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings was granted, with a 20 percent rating assigned for the right lower extremity and a separate compensable rating for left lower extremity neurological symptoms. The service connection is determined to be direct.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate rationale in previous VA examinations and a need for additional evidence. The Veteran's low back disability is being reviewed again.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for a low back disorder and finds that new evidence received since the August 2008 rating decision is sufficient to establish service connection. The Veteran's current low back disorder, diagnosed as degenerative disc disease and arthritis of the lumbar spine, is related to injuries sustained during active service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim of entitlement to an effective date earlier than September 28, 1998 for service connection for low back strain with sciatica and PTSD. The decision was based on a lack of evidence showing that the Veteran filed a formal or informal claim prior to September 1998.

The Veteran's migraine headaches have been rated at 50 percent since March 22, 2012. The Board has also granted TDIU based on the combined effect of his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran is entitled to service connection for a back disorder, manifested by low back and bilateral hip pain, claimed originally as a bilateral hip disorder. The evidence is in relative equipoise as to whether the degenerative joint disease in the Veteran's lumbar spine and sacroiliac joints was sustained during active duty service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings were denied. The Board found no evidence of a current disability related to the claimed conditions, or that any such disabilities are causally related to military service.

The Board finds that the Veteran's current low back disability did not have its onset in service and thus, does not meet the criteria for service connection.

The Veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, and the Board finds that his back condition did not contribute substantially or materially to his cause of death. The VA medical opinion provided a negative nexus between the service-connected back disability and the cause of death.