Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2017

The Veteran's TDIU claim is being remanded due to unclear employment status since his retirement from service and the need for further development of his income information.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen several service connection claims, but the evidence is not sufficient to establish service connection for all of the conditions listed.

The Board has remanded the claims for a VA examination to address the etiology of the Veteran's low back disorder and bilateral lower extremity neurologic disorder. The RO must ensure that all documents pertinent to the Veteran have been uploaded to his electronic claims file.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to concerns about the adequacy of the April 2009 VA examination and addendum in 2013, as well as an inadequate statement of reasons or bases for denying service connection.

The Veteran's painful surgical scars, status-post right knee meniscectomy, have been granted a 10 percent disability rating effective September 17, 2004.

The Veteran's low back disability is rated at 40 percent since March 2, 2014. The Board also granted TDIU effective June 15, 2015.

The Veteran's low back disability is rated at 10 percent, and he was granted service connection for incontinence as secondary to his HIV+. The DVT claim remains pending.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling examinations to determine the etiology of the Veteran's hearing loss, tinnitus, low-back, and right-hip disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations for his service-connected back and right knee disabilities are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including examinations of both conditions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for CAD, hypertension, neck disability, back disability, and residuals of a head injury due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service or any presumptive exposure.

The Veteran's right shoulder disability is found to be secondary to his service-connected cervical spine disability, and thus service connection for the right shoulder disability is granted.

The Board has granted a 20 percent rating for the Veteran's back disability, effective from August 3, 2016. The claimant is still seeking an increased rating for his back disability prior to this date.

The Veteran's lumbosacral spine disc herniation and bulging, neural foraminal narrowing, and stenosis are currently rated at 40 percent. The appeal is granted as the Veteran retains some range of motion in his back.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's low back disability is not related to his military service and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine disability and PTSD have rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment since May 13, 2005.

The Veteran's claim for higher disability ratings for his service-connected lumbar strain is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination and further development of the record.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine is denied as there was no communication indicating intent to reopen his service connection prior to March 11, 2008.

The Board found no evidence of service-connected conditions and denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for his back, neck, and right shoulder disabilities.

The Veteran's sinus condition was not caused or aggravated by active military service.,New and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the claim for low back pain with sciatica, but it is not etiologically related to service.,CTS of the left upper extremity was not caused or aggravated by active military service or a service-connected disability.,Evidence received since the May 2007 rating decision raises a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim for diabetes mellitus; however, the Veteran's COPD is not etiologically related to service.,New and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the claim for hypertension. The evidence does not show that this condition was caused or aggravated by service-connected PTSD.,Fibromyalgia was not caused or aggravated by active military service.,The Veteran's application to reopen his previously denied claim for ureaplasma urealyticum (to include infertility, low sperm count, and low testosterone) has not been supported by new and material evidence.

The Board has granted service connection for residuals of a right index finger injury, hypertension, degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine, and bilateral spermatocele. The Veteran's conditions are found to be related to his military service.