Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for a temporary total evaluation due to treatment of his service-connected left epididymal cyst, as well as his claims for compensable evaluations for his diabetic retinopathy and hypertension. The low back strain claim is remanded.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim to reopen his service connection for bilateral knee osteoarthritis and secondary service connection for degenerative joint disease of the lumbosacral region. The heart disability and bilateral hearing loss disability claims were dismissed due to withdrawal by the Veteran.

The Veteran seeks service connection for various conditions, including knee and ankle disabilities. The Board finds that some of these claims are based on secondary theories of entitlement to the right knee disability. The appeal is therefore considered 'mixed' as it includes both granted and denied issues.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings and an earlier effective date for lumbosacral strain was denied. The Board found that the criteria for a higher rating were not met prior to January 17, 2002, and that the effective date of the 10 percent evaluation should be set at January 17, 2002.

The Board has granted increased initial evaluations for various spinal and joint disabilities, but denied service connection for hypertension and sinusitis.

The Board found that the Veteran's low back and right lower extremity disabilities are not related to his military service, as there is no evidence of any injury or condition during service. The VA examination concluded that any current disability is unrelated to service.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including a new VA examination to address the etiology of the Veteran's lumbar spine disorder and its relationship to his service-connected right leg disability.

The Veteran's current lumbar disc disease with spondylosis is not related to his active duty service and the Board finds that he does not meet the criteria for service connection.

The Board has granted a 100 percent initial rating for depressive disorder NOS effective May 14, 2010.

The Board has granted service connection for lumbar spondylosis with disc disease, pelvic pain, and fatigue/sleep disorder. The Veteran's low back disability is related to his active duty service.,Service connection was also established for pelvic pain as being proximately due to the Veteran's service-connected low back disability.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for all issues except the right shoulder replacement with osteoarthritis. The Board dismissed the appeals of the remaining issues.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and a Supplemental Statement of the Case.

The Veteran's authorized representative withdrew the appeals for all issues currently under appeal, including evaluations for degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine and bilateral pes planus.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development due to the need for a new VA examination and opinion regarding his service-connected lumbar spine disability.

The Board has granted a 40 percent rating for service-connected lumbar spine degenerative disc disease (DDD) effective from January 31, 2014. The Veteran's cervical spine disability claim was reopened and the issue of service connection is addressed in the remand portion.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development and consideration of the issues on appeal, including a new examination for his anxiety disorder and residual scars. The effective date issue will also be addressed.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for lumbar and cervical spine disorders are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining private treatment records and worker's compensation records.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension and low back disorder, finding no evidence of their onset in service or within one year post-service. The claim for increased rating for bilateral hearing loss is also denied as there is no exceptional pattern of hearing impairment present.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the lack of a Statement of the Case for the issue of payment of CRSC/CRDP. The case must be returned to the Board only if the Veteran perfects his appeal.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for cervical spine and thoracolumbar spine disorders, finding that these conditions are not related to his active duty service or his service-connected knee disabilities. The claim for an increased disability rating for left knee disability was also denied.