Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2018

The Veteran's cervical spine disability is granted service connection. The lumbar spine disability is rated at 60 percent, but no higher. An effective date of February 20, 2009 for the TDIU is granted.

The Veteran's low back disability is rated at 40 percent since July 26, 2016. The claim for service connection for sleep apnea was denied.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for a back disability that he contends was incurred during active duty. The Board has ordered additional development to obtain in-patient treatment records and to determine if the Veteran currently has a back disability related to his military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and records to assess the current severity of his service-connected lumbosacral and cervical spine disabilities.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed, including scheduling the Veteran for an examination to address the etiology of his claimed disabilities. The appeal will be remanded to the AOJ.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining his service records and verifying periods of active duty. He also needs to be scheduled for a VA examination regarding his foot disability.

The Veteran withdrew his claims for various disabilities, including those related to the lumbar spine, knees, erectile dysfunction, feet, and a creative organ. The appeals are dismissed as a result.

The Veteran's service connection claims for a cervical spine, lumbar spine, loss of teeth, right foot, and left foot disabilities are all granted. The diagnoses were found to have onset during active service.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal, and the Board dismissed it.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development due to missing service personnel and treatment records from a fire at the NPRC. The Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for a back disorder will be reviewed again with this new information.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals regarding service connection for a low back condition and sleep apnea as secondary to PTSD.

The Veteran's headaches have been rated as at least 30 percent disabling throughout the appeal period. The Board finds that an initial rating of at least 30 percent is warranted for his service-connected headaches.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a back disability and balance issues have been denied as there is no evidence of a direct link to his period of active service, or continuity of symptomology since separation from service. The Board also found that the Veteran's balance issues are symptoms of his previously granted ankle disorders and pes planus.

The Board denied service connection for a low back disability and left leg disability, finding no evidence of in-service injury or disease that could be linked to the current conditions. The right leg disability was not addressed as it is secondary to the low back condition.

The Veteran is granted a separate, 40 percent disability rating for the side effects of the medications used to treat his service-connected lumbosacral strain.,An effective date of October 11, 1995, is assigned for the award of TDIU on an extraschedular basis.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right knee advanced tricompartmental DJD and low back disability, finding that there was no evidence to support a secondary relationship between these conditions and his service-connected left knee severe tricompartmental DJD with effusion, pseudo laxity, and scar.,The Board also denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right knee advanced tricompartmental DJD and low back disability, finding that there was no evidence to support a secondary relationship between these conditions and his service-connected left knee severe tricompartmental DJD with effusion, pseudo laxity, and scar.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of kidney disease, low back disability, left leg disability, or psychiatric disability other than his service-connected left knee disability. The appeal for these conditions is denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current low back and knee disabilities did not arise during service or are otherwise related to his military service. The evidence does not support a finding of service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's DJD of the lumbar spine is currently rated at 20 percent since June 29, 2011. The effective date for service connection of bilateral radiculopathy of the lower extremities has been set at May 8, 2014.,No increased rating is warranted prior to March 17, 2010 and from March 17, 2010 to June 29, 2011. The Veteran's radiculopathy of the lower extremities has been rated at 20 percent since May 8, 2014.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's low back disability is etiologically related to his active service and grants service connection for lumbosacral strain.