Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Board found that the Veteran's gout and lumbar spine disorder are not related to his active duty service.,There is no evidence of a chronic disease shown as such in service or within an applicable presumptive period, nor can continuity of symptomatology be established.

The Veteran's lumbosacral strain was rated at 40 percent effective June 7, 2011. Effective April 15, 2008, he is also service-connected for peripheral neuropathy of the right and left lower extremities.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 10 percent for degenerative disc disease and degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine was denied. The Board granted his TDIU claim based on his service-connected disabilities, which rendered him unable to obtain and retain substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for the claims of entitlement to payment of or reimbursement for medical expenses incurred on December 12, 2005 and April 11, 2006 at Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is being remanded for a new VA Social and Industrial Survey to consider her complete disability picture, including her service-connected conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including new VA examinations to assess the current severity of his service-connected thoracic and lumbar spine degenerative arthritis with thoracic spine dextrorotoscoliosis, left ankle sprain and left Achilles calcaneal spur, restless leg syndrome, and right shoulder strain.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's low back disability and its relation to service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and other pertinent medical records.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and the issues are dismissed.

The Veteran's claim to reopen service connection for a cervical spine disability is granted. The Board finds that the evidence received since the February 1993 rating decision is new and material, thus allowing the reopening of this claim. For his facial lacerations, the Veteran receives a 30 percent disability evaluation under Diagnostic Code 7800. His lumbar spine disability warrants an initial disability rating of 40 percent as of January 10, 2014.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was not caused or aggravated by service exposure to aircraft engine noise, as evidenced by normal audiometric results during service and no significant threshold shifts.,His gastrointestinal disorder (claimed as stomach, reflux, and ulcer disorder), to include GERD and duodenal ulcer, did not manifest within one year after discharge from service. The Veteran's current symptoms are more consistent with post-service occupational exposures rather than a continuity of symptomatology since service.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals pertaining to the claims for increased evaluations for PTSD, mild quadriceps patella tendonitis, and recurrent lumbar strain.

The Veteran's service-connected thoracolumbar spine disability is rated at 40 percent, effective from the date of this decision. He also meets criteria for a TDIU.

The Board denied all claims on appeal, finding that new and material evidence was not submitted to reopen any of the service connection claims for PTSD, low back disability, right knee disability, fungal infection of the arms, tinnitus, or prostate cancer. The denial is based on the lack of new and material evidence.

The Board has determined that the submitted evidence does not relate to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate the Veteran's claims for service connection for a low back disability and tinnitus, thus denying the reopening of these previously denied claims.

The Board has determined that the April 2012 rating decision is deficient and requires additional development, including obtaining medical records, contacting the Veteran for outstanding evidence, and providing a VA examination to address the Veteran's claims.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for PTSD, right knee displacement, and lumbosacral strain. The Veteran was also not granted a TDIU due to lack of service connection.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and the Board is dismissing his case.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's low back disability did not have its clinical onset in service and is not otherwise related to active duty. The Board also found no evidence of arthritis manifesting within one year after separation from service.

The Veteran's current chronic back disorder is not shown to have been present during his military service or for many years thereafter, nor is it related to the Veteran's military service. The Board finds that service connection for a chronic back disorder is not warranted.