Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Board has determined that the Veteran's low back disability had its onset during service and is related to his in-service duties, granting service connection for this condition.

The Board has remanded the appeal due to a need for additional development, including investigating the Veteran's account of an in-service injury and obtaining any related records.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's skin, back, bilateral foot, and bilateral knee disorders are not related to his active duty service.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have current disabilities of the lumbar spine, bilateral shoulders, or left arm. The preponderance of evidence is against the claims for service connection.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and special monthly compensation were denied. The Board found no evidence of a right upper extremity or low back disability that is causally related to, or aggravated by, his service-connected conditions.

The Board found no evidence to support the Veteran's claims of brain trauma, fibromyalgia, or low back disorder being related to her active service. The preponderance of the evidence is against these claims.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for his service-connected back disability and associated neurological, urinary, and bowel impairments has been granted. He is now rated at 80 percent for left lower extremity lumbar radiculopathy, 80 percent for right lower extremity lumbar radiculopathy, 60 percent for urinary dysfunction, and 100 percent for bowel dysfunction as secondary to his service-connected back disability.

The Board denied service connection for chronic headaches and TDIU, finding that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not preclude him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's low back, right knee, and left knee disabilities are etiologically related to service. Service connection is granted for these conditions.

The Veteran is entitled to a TDIU since November 17, 2011 and SMC based on the need for aid and attendance due to her service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's current back disability is found to have initially manifested during his active service, and the Board grants service connection for a back disability (DDD and DJD).

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not warrant a higher rating, as the evidence does not show recurrent symptomatic infection or frequent hospitalizations for his left scrotal condition. His lumbar spine disability is rated based on moderate limitation of motion and mild radiculopathy of the left lower extremity.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for sinusitis was denied because he did not have a current diagnosis of the condition. The claim for an earlier effective date for TDIU prior to May 17, 2006, but not before January 1, 1996, is also denied as the Veteran had been working until December 1995 and therefore was not unemployable due to service-connected disabilities.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and readjudication of the claims, including obtaining employment verification forms from the Veteran's previous places of employment and any outstanding medical records.

The Board has remanded the case for a new VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of any current low back disability other than spina bifida occulta and lumbar DDD, including whether it is at least as likely as not related to service.

The Veteran's right lower extremity radiculopathy was granted a 20 percent rating prior to November 4, 2015 and increased to 40 percent thereafter. The Board also found that the Veteran is entitled to a TDIU based on his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has granted the Veteran's appeals for lumbar sprain and bilateral knee degenerative arthritis as secondary to his service connected left leg disability. The increased rating claim for internal medullary rod screws fixation for comminuted left tibia and fibula fracture is remanded, and the compensable rating claim for costochondritis requires additional development.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence linking the Veteran's current low back condition, including degenerative disc disease, to his military service. The Veteran's statements regarding a tank injury during service are found to be speculative and lack probative value.

The Veteran's claim for higher ratings for DDD of the lumbar spine and PTSD with mood disorder was denied. The Board found that a 40 percent rating is warranted for DDD prior to February 23, 2009, but not after. For PTSD, a 70 percent rating is granted from October 12, 2013 onwards.

The Veteran's cervical spine disability with DDD and DDD did not meet the criteria for a higher rating prior to December 9, 2011. From December 9, 2011 to March 13, 2014, and from May 1, 2014, his disability was rated at 20 percent based on forward flexion limited to 15 degrees or less.