Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2017

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for cervical and thoracolumbar spine disabilities due to outstanding VA treatment records, a need for a VA examination, and other procedural matters.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right knee and low back disabilities were not incurred or aggravated by service, nor may they be presumed to have been so incurred.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including scheduling VA examinations to assess the severity of his right knee disability and the etiology of his lumbar spine and left foot gout disorders.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's low back disability and acquired psychiatric disorder were not caused or aggravated by military service or his service-connected right ankle disability.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been granted. The status of the left toe disability and low back disability is unknown, as they are not addressed in the decision.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to maintain substantially gainful employment consistent with his education and occupational background.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current lumbar spine disability is not related to her active military service and has denied her claim for service connection.

Your claim for service connection for degenerative changes and disc space narrowing of the lumbar spine, to include as secondary to an in-service fracture of the L-1 transverse process, has been granted effective November 1, 2006. The issue is now moot.

The Board finds that the Veteran's back and left hip disabilities are not service-connected as they were not incurred or aggravated by military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including scheduling a VA examination and obtaining updated treatment records. The case will be reviewed to determine if the claims can be granted.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for an increased rating for service-connected degenerative disc disease, lumbosacral spine before the Board could make a decision.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a low back disability was reopened, but his increased rating claims for bilateral hearing loss and multiple non-compensable disabilities were denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to address the etiology of his claimed right and left foot disorders, back disorder, and COPD.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection and nonservice-connected pension benefits require additional development due to lack of notification regarding a scheduled VA examination, incomplete income information, and outstanding treatment records. The case is being remanded for further action.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and a low back disability, both of which are considered direct service connection. The Veteran's benign positional vertigo is currently rated at 10%.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to the withdrawal of his request for a hearing and appeal by his representative.

The Veteran's PTSD due to military sexual trauma and major depressive disorder due to back disability have been reopened, and service connection is granted. The Veteran also received a rating of at least 10 percent for his lumbar spondylosis with intervertebral disc disease prior to July 17, 2012.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of a back disability for which service connection may be granted. For the period from May 10, 2012 to June 2, 2014, his left shoulder disability was manifested by subjective reports of pain and full motion without pain or functional loss. From June 3, 2014, the Veteran's left shoulder disability has been manifested by objective findings of pain, functional loss, noncompensable limitation of motion, and normal X-ray findings.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability was rated at 20 percent since September 11, 2008. The claim for an increased rating was received on January 18, 2012, and the VA determined that a higher rating is not warranted during this period.

The case is being remanded for additional development to determine the severity of the Veteran's low back disability, PTSD, left knee degenerative joint disease and instability, as well as whether her service-connected knee disabilities are secondary or aggravated by her low back disability. The Veteran will also be asked to authorize VA to obtain physical therapy records from 'Vital Energy and Force'.