Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2017

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current cervical and lumbar spine disabilities are not related to his service, as there is no evidence of a nexus between his in-service injuries and his current conditions.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including scheduling a VA examination to obtain an opinion regarding the relationship of the Veteran's back disability to service and/or his service-connected left knee disability.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for a compensable disability rating for erectile dysfunction associated with lumbar spine disability. The case is dismissed.

The Board denied entitlement to higher ratings for the Veteran's low back and cervical spine disabilities on an extraschedular basis.

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

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for higher initial disability ratings for multiple service-connected disabilities, finding that the evidence did not meet the criteria for increased ratings under applicable VA rating criteria.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's lumbar spine and bilateral knee disabilities are related to his active service, granting service connection for these conditions.

The Board denied service connection for a low back disability and right leg sciatica, finding that the evidence did not support a nexus to service or a service-connected condition.

The Board has granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability from September 5, 2012. The appeal is now remanded for consideration of an extraschedular TDIU prior to that date.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder was rated at 50 percent prior to April 4, 2014 and granted a rating of 70 percent. The back disorder was rated at 10 percent prior to May 5, 2015 and granted a rating of 20 percent. Right lower extremity radiculopathy was rated as noncompensable prior to May 5, 2015 and granted a rating of 20 percent. Hemorrhoids were rated as noncompensable prior to July 7, 2015 and granted a compensable rating.

The Board found that the Veteran's low back disability was not incurred in or aggravated by active service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current low back disability is not related to his active service, and therefore denied his claim for service connection. The left knee issue remains on appeal.

The Board found that the Veteran's generalized body pain and fatigue are not due to an undiagnosed illness or another qualifying chronic disease under 38 C.F.R. § 3.317, as his symptoms are attributable to pre-existing conditions and other diagnosed disorders.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and initial ratings were denied. The lumbar spine disability was rated as 40 percent prior to May 20, 2010, and from September 1, 2010 onwards. The cervical spine disability was rated based on radiculopathy of the upper and lower extremities. Urinary frequency was rated as 40 percent prior to December 7, 2016, and scar was not compensable.

The Board found that the Veteran's low back strain with DDD and right sciatic nerve neuropathy had improved, warranting a reduction in their disability ratings from 20% to 10%. The reductions were effective May 1, 2010.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and a lumbar spine disorder, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are causally related to his military service. The other issues on appeal remain unresolved.

The Veteran's appeals have been withdrawn, and the Board has dismissed all pending claims.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for right knee patella-femoral syndrome and osteoarthritis, as well as L4-L5 bulging disc with moderate spinal canal stenosis (degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine), both secondary to his service-connected left knee disorder. The claim for chronic dermatitis remains denied.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and scheduling a new VA examination.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development, including a VA examination to determine the etiology of his multilevel DDD with L5-S1 herniated nucleus and whether it was caused or aggravated by service-connected left knee disability. The TDIU issue is inextricably intertwined.