Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2018

The Board has determined that the veteran's low back disorder and bilateral hearing loss are related to service, granting service connection for both conditions.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including lumbar strain and myofascial pain, CRPS of the right hip, left knee and foot, right knee, and right ankle. The Veteran is unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is rated at 40 percent effective August 15, 2014.,An initial rating of 10 percent for left knee osteoarthritis is granted effective June 2, 2015. The Veteran also received a separate compensable rating of 10 percent for radiculopathy of the sciatic nerve of the lower left extremity.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's low back condition is related to her service, and therefore grants service connection for this disability.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral shoulder disorder, neck and back disorder, and dental disorder due to incomplete records and need for further examination.

The Board has granted the reopening of the claim for service connection for low back disability and denied it. The Veteran's pre-existing back condition is found to have existed prior to service, and there is no clear and unmistakable evidence that active duty aggravated this condition. Therefore, service connection is not established.

The Veteran's claims were initially adjudicated as non-service-connected pension benefits, but he clearly indicated his intention to pursue service connection. The Board finds a remand necessary for proper development and consideration of the service connection claims.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's low back condition had its onset during his active service and granted service connection for this condition.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for a low back condition and residuals of TBI including vertigo due to new evidence provided by the Veteran. Additional VA examinations are needed, as well as obtaining relevant medical records.

The Board denied service connection for psychiatric disorders, hypertension, gastrointestinal disabilities, cervical spine disability, and lumbar spine disability. The Veteran's claims were not supported by evidence showing a direct relationship to service or secondary to a service-connected condition.

The Veteran's thoracolumbar spine, cervical spine, right knee, left knee, and headaches are all related to his service-connected right ankle disability.,However, the VA examiners found that these conditions were not proximately due or a result of his service-connected right ankle disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current lumbar spine and thoracic spondylosis disabilities are not related to service, as there is no evidence of any back injuries during service. The examiner opined that the onset of these conditions was more likely due to age and smoking.

The Board has granted service connection for lumbar facet arthropathy with mild spondylosis, effective from September 19, 2012. The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for coronary artery disease (CAD) is also granted. A 10 percent disability rating for hypertension is assigned and effective as of August 31, 2011.

The Board has denied the reopening of claims for service connection for various conditions, including low back disability, bilateral foot disability, shoulder disability, hip disability, knee disability, sciatic radiculopathy, and acquired psychiatric/mental disabilities. The July 1997 decision remains final regarding the low back disability claim.

The Board has reopened the claims for service connection for low back and neck disabilities, but denied reopening of the claim for service connection for a neck disability.

The rating reduction from 60 percent to 20 percent for chronic lumbar intervertebral disk syndrome (IVDS) effective October 1, 2011 was improper. The 60 percent rating is restored.

The Veteran's lumbar spine degenerative disc disease with sciatica is found to have started during her military service and has been granted service connection.

The Board has reopened the claims for service connection for low back and bilateral hip disorders, finding new and material evidence that relates to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate these claims on a secondary basis.,The Veteran is now eligible for TDIU due to his service-connected right and left knee disabilities preventing him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has determined that new examinations are necessary to evaluate the current severity of the Veteran's service-connected left shoulder strain, thoracolumbar spine strain, and left knee patellofemoral syndrome due to potential changes in their severity since the last examination. The Veteran's migraine headaches have also been remanded for a VA examination.

The Veteran's low back disability is rated at 40 percent effective March 17, 2014. Service connection for a left lower extremity disability is granted from September 29, 2011.