Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2018

The Board has granted service connection for a lumbar spine disability and tinea versicolor/tinea cruris, finding that the Veteran's current disabilities are related to his active service. The skin disability claim is remanded due to outstanding VA and private treatment records.

The Board has granted service connection for a back disability of degenerative joint disease (DJD) based on continuity of symptoms since service.

The Veteran's combined service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and the Board has granted TDIU.

The VA examiner found that the Veteran's low back disability is less likely related to her service-connected bilateral knee disabilities, but after resolving all doubt in favor of the Veteran, it was determined that her current low back disability is secondary to her service-connected bilateral knee disabilities.

The Veteran's cervical spine disability is rated at 20 percent, effective from the date of this decision. The lumbar spine disability remains rated at 20 percent.

The Veteran is granted service connection for radiculopathy of the right and left lower extremities, low back disorder, skin disorder, and neurological disorder of the upper left back. The Veteran is assigned a disability rating of 40 percent for his low back disorder.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a lumbar spine disorder is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's low back disability and bilateral foot disability are not related to service, and therefore denied both claims.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's incisional hernia, surgically resolved with scar, was incurred during a period of active duty service. The claim for service connection is granted.

The Board found no evidence of a chronic back disability in service and concluded that the Veteran's current back disability is not related to his military service.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied as there was no indication of noise exposure during service, and the Veteran did not have a significant threshold shift between enlistment and separation.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to assess the severity of his low back disorder and related neurological symptoms. The TDIU claim will also be adjudicated.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to obtain relevant medical records and to provide the Veteran with appropriate VA examinations. The case will be returned to the AOJ for further action.

The Veteran's appeal involves multiple service connection claims for various musculoskeletal and neurological conditions. The Board has remanded the case to the AOJ for further action, including a decision on the appellant's request for substitution.

The Board has determined that further development is needed to address the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, and back disability. This includes obtaining additional medical opinions regarding the etiology of these conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current neck disability, diagnosed as degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine with multilevel cervical herniated nucleus pulposus from C4-C7, was caused by military service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for a VA examination and additional development of his medical records.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals regarding the increased rating claims for lumbar spine disability and left knee disability, prior to the Board's decision.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's DDD of the lumbar spine is related to service, granting service connection and a 10% rating. For his laceration scar of the right index finger, the Board found sufficient evidence of pain and instability, granting an increased rating to 10%. The effective date for these determinations has not been specified.

The Veteran is unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation due to his service-connected disabilities, which include PTSD, back and neck conditions. The Board grants the TDIU.

The Veteran's tinnitus is related to service exposure to loud noise from gunfire during military police training.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus is granted.