Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2017

The Board has determined that the Veteran's low back disorder was not incurred in or aggravated by active service, and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral knee disability, low back disability, sinusitis, and gastrointestinal disorder as secondary to her service-connected bilateral Achilles tendonitis and calf strain.,There is no evidence of a current disability in any of these conditions.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to incomplete records and insufficient opinions regarding service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including another VA examination to assess the current severity of his lumbar disability and radiculopathy of the left lower extremity.

The Board has determined that there is no direct evidence linking the Veteran's current back disorder and arthritis of the lumbar spine to his active service. The VA examiners concluded that it was less likely than not that these conditions were incurred during or aggravated by his military service.

The Board found that the Veteran's back disability did not have its onset in service and is not otherwise related to service. The claim for service connection for a back disability was denied.

The Veteran's claim for TDIU was denied as her service-connected disabilities did not present an exceptional or unusual disability picture prior to July 1, 2011, and they do not markedly interfere with employment after that date.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current low back disorders are not related to service and have denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings have been granted, but the effective dates are not specified. The Veteran remains entitled to a separate rating for his painful and unstable amputation scar of the right hand index finger prior to October 23, 2008, and to an initial compensable rating thereafter.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his back and neck disabilities are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations to assess functional loss during flare-ups and repetitive use.

The Board has denied reopening of the Veteran's claims for service connection for upper back and low back disorders due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings were denied as he refused to report for VA examinations without good cause shown.

The Veteran's radiculopathy of the right and left lower extremities was initially granted with a 10% rating effective March 6, 2012. The Board remanded for further increases in excess of 10 percent from July 1, 2014, which were granted at 20%. Prior to this date, the Veteran's radiculopathy was rated as mild.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's sinusitis, right shoulder disability, and lumbar spine disability are not service-connected as her conditions were either not incurred or aggravated by active military service.

The Board denied service connection for a low back disability, finding that the Veteran's schmorl's node at L2 was congenital and not aggravated during service.

The Board has granted service connection for blepharitis with dry eyes and found that the Veteran's eye conditions other than blepharitis are not related to his service or service-connected ulcerative colitis. The claim for higher rating of lumbar spine arthritis is also granted.

The Board has remanded the case due to an improper instruction in a previous VA examination and insufficient rationale for the opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran's low back disorder and her service-connected plantar fasciitis.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of a head injury, neck disorder, and back disorder are being remanded due to the need for additional development.

The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 20 percent for degenerative disc disease, lumbar spine, status-post surgery from April 20, 2010 is denied.

The Board found that the Veteran's current lumbar spine disability is not related to his service, including an October 1982 fall and carrying radio equipment on his back. The VA examiner opined that the Veteran's current condition was less likely caused by or a result of in-service injury.