Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2019

The Veteran's back disability is rated at 40 percent since July 11, 2011. A separate 60 percent rating for LLE radiculopathy has been granted from December 28, 2015.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations for various knee and back conditions have been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a rating in excess of 10 percent for any of these conditions.

The Board has remanded the cases due to missing service treatment records and incomplete information on the Veteran's injuries. The claims will be reviewed again after obtaining all relevant medical records.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, lumbar spine disability, and right leg disability have been remanded due to incomplete service records. The Board found no evidence of hearing loss meeting VA criteria and denied the claim.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted service connection. The back disability and toenail fungus are remanded for further examination.

The Veteran's service-connected cervical spine arthritis, lumbar spine arthritis, left knee arthritis, and right knee instability are all remanded for further evaluation due to the possibility of increased severity since his last VA examination.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for left ear hearing loss has been reopened and granted.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for a back disability has been reopened and granted.

The Board has granted service connection for lumbar disc degeneration, finding that the Veteran's current condition had its onset in service and is related to his military service.

The Board denied service connection for a lumbar strain and memory loss, finding no evidence of chronic conditions related to active service.,Service records show treatment for back pain in the early 1980s but no current diagnosis. Memory issues were noted post-service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a lumbar spine disorder, finding that there is no evidence to support a relationship between his current back condition and his military service.

The Board denied increased ratings for various conditions, including thoracolumbar degenerative arthritis, right and left knee strains, status/post septoplasty with deviated septum, prostate disorder, erectile dysfunction (ED), and gastrointestinal (GI) disorder. The effective dates for the grants of service connection were also denied.

The Veteran's back disability is currently rated at 20 percent, and the appeal for a higher rating has been denied.,Both lower extremity radiculopathies are currently rated at 20 percent, and the appeals for higher ratings have also been denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been granted. The Board has also remanded the issues of whether her low back pain, cervical spine condition, and right sciatic nerve damage are related to her active duty service.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to their death, and the Board has no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of this appeal at this time.

The Veteran's service-connected lumbosacral strain and left gluteal muscle strain were evaluated as 10 percent disabling prior to March 29, 2019. The disability was found not to meet the criteria for a higher evaluation.

The Veteran's disability rating for lumbosacral strain with intervertebral disc syndrome was restored to 20 percent effective February 28, 2017.

The Veteran's back disability, specifically degenerative disc disease and L4-5 and L5-S1 disc desiccation, has been rated at 40 percent since the entire period on appeal. The rating is based on forward flexion to 20 degrees during flare-ups.

The Veteran's TBI claim is denied as there is no current diagnosis and the evidence does not support a finding that it began during service.,Service connection for cervical spine degenerative disc disease is denied due to lack of in-service injury or disease, and no causal relationship to service has been established.,Left shoulder degenerative joint disease was also denied as there is no in-service injury or disease, and the Veteran's current condition does not appear related to service.,Lumbar spine degenerative disc disease was denied due to lack of an in-service injury or disease, and the evidence does not support a finding that it began during service.,Radiculopathy associated with lumbar spine degenerative disc disease is also denied as there is no direct service connection.

The Veteran is granted an earlier effective date of March 31, 2015 for the assignment of a 40 percent rating for lumbosacral strain.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss was denied. Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, left shoulder arthritis, right shoulder strain, and low back strain with IVDS were all granted. The claims for service connection of the left shoulder arthritis, right shoulder strain, and low back strain with IVDS are denied.