Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Veteran's prostate cancer, erectile dysfunction, and left lower extremity radiculopathy have been granted service connection. The Veteran does not have a claim for colon cancer secondary to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.,An effective date of May 15, 2006 has been assigned for the grant of service connection for prostate cancer.

The Veteran seeks service connection for a left leg disability, which he asserts had its onset in service. He was also seeking an initial compensable rating for his left elbow arthritis and an initial compensable rating for his thoracolumbar spine disability.,An additional VA examination is necessary to clarify the specific nature of any current disabilities and to provide opinions regarding their relationship to service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a back disability was denied. The issue of reopening his left knee disability claim has been reopened, but the new evidence does not establish that he currently has a left knee disability or that it is related to service. His PTSD symptoms are manifested by occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity.

The Veteran's appeal has been resolved in part. His higher rating and earlier effective date claims for lower extremity radiculopathy have been granted, as well as his TDIU claim based on service-connected disabilities. However, his initial rating claim for tinnitus is dismissed due to withdrawal of the appeal.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the claim for a back disability before the Board could make a decision.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability was granted a rating of 20 percent effective February 23, 2015. The claim for an increased rating prior to that date remains pending.

The Board denied service connection for a low back disability, finding that the Veteran's preexisting chronic lumbar strain did not become aggravated during active duty and that his other diagnosed conditions are not related to military service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a higher rating for a headache disability and for a disability rating in excess of 20 percent for his lumbar spine disability. The claim for TDIU is also being deferred pending completion of the actions requested.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings and TDIU have been dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his appeal.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for TDIU, finding that equitable tolling and/or waiver of the time limit for perfecting an appeal were not met. The earliest pending claim was received on August 28, 2008.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is being referred to the VA Director of Compensation Service for extraschedular consideration due to his age and service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unemployable, as he is able to work despite his lumbar spine disability and other conditions. The Board finds that the evidence does not support a finding of total occupational impairment due to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal for increased evaluations for his service-connected lumbosacral strain and post herpetic neuralgia has been dismissed as he is satisfied with the current evaluations assigned.

The Veteran's TDIU claim was granted as his combined service-connected disability rating is sufficient to meet the schedular criteria for a TDIU, and he is unemployable due to his right knee disability.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased rating for palindromic rheumatism have been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of direct service connection or an increase in disability.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar spine disability and associated radiculopathy are being remanded due to the need for additional VA examinations.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not meet the criteria for an evaluation of 10 percent or higher for his hypertension. For the other claims, the evidence does not support a finding that any of the claimed conditions were incurred in or aggravated by active service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to a lack of verification of herbicide exposure and for additional development, including obtaining private treatment records.

The Board found that the Veteran's low back disorder is not caused by or worsened due to his service-connected disabilities, including a missing rib from surgery. The evidence does not support a finding of direct causation.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate medical examination and needs further evaluation of the Veteran's lumbar spine disorder.