Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Board finds that the Veteran's current back disability, diagnosed as kyphosis, is related to her service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran is eligible for special monthly compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1114(s) since April 11, 2011 due to his unemployability and the combined disability rating of his remaining service-connected disabilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine with right lower extremity radiculopathy is secondary to his service-connected sacral pain with history of chronic coccydynia and fracture of coccyx, and grants this claim.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is related to his active service, and the Board has granted service connection for this condition. The issue of a higher schedular rating for degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine remains pending. TDIU is also under consideration.

The Board finds that the Veteran's preexisting lower back condition was noted on entrance into service and clearly and unmistakably did not increase in severity during active service, thus denying service connection for his lower back condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current low back disability is at least as likely as not caused by an injury sustained during active service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran has withdrawn all issues on appeal, including the reopening of a claim for osteoarthritis of the bilateral knees and claims for hearing loss, tinnitus, major joints, and lumbar spine.

The Veteran's service-connected degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine was granted a noncompensable rating from May 2, 2005 to July 1, 2008.

The Veteran's claim for service connection of degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine was granted with an effective date of September 9, 1995, which is the day following his discharge from active duty.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current lumbar spine disorder is etiologically related to his active military service, and therefore grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has granted service connection for a low back disability, chronic coccydynia as secondary to postoperative residuals of pilonidal cystectomy, and right leg radiculopathy (sacroiliac weakness) as secondary to the low back disability and postoperative residuals of pilonidal cystectomy.

The Veteran's claim for an increased evaluation for his lumbar strain has been denied as the evidence does not show that his forward flexion of the thoracolumbar spine is limited to 30 degrees or less, or that he has ankylosis of the thoracolumbar spine.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a lumbar spine disorder, finding that there is no evidence of a chronic disability in service or within one year after service and noting that the weight of the evidence does not support a finding that his current condition is related to his military service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's TDIU claim due to inextricably intertwined issues with his Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment benefits under 38 U.S.C. Chapter 31.

The Veteran's claim for a higher initial rating for her lumbar spine strain was denied. The RO assigned an initial 10% disability rating effective May 1, 2010 and increased the rating to 20% disabling effective October 7, 2011.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability was granted a 40 percent rating effective June 7, 2010. The Board also found that the Veteran's left and right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy warranted separate ratings of 60 percent and 20 percent respectively.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's residuals of a back injury, characterized as degenerative joint and disc disease, are related to his military service. The claim is granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current lumbar spine disorder was not incurred during his active military service and is not related to his service. As a result, he does not meet the criteria for service connection.

The Board granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, ED secondary to DM, hypertension secondary to DM, and lumbar and cervical spine disabilities. The Board also granted a TDIU rating.

The Veteran's cervical spine disability is not rated higher than 20 percent, and his bilateral leg stress fractures do not warrant separate compensable ratings. The Board also found that the Veteran did not meet criteria for TDIU prior to March 1, 2012.