Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a back disability is being remanded due to the need for additional medical examination and opinion. The issue of whether new and material evidence has been received to reopen her previously denied claim is also being remanded.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining private treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to assess the severity of his service-connected lumbar spine degenerative joint and disc disease. The social worker will also conduct a social and industrial survey to determine if he can engage in substantially gainful employment due to his disabilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current hearing loss, hypertension, cervical spine DJD, and lumbar spine DDD are not service-connected as they do not meet the criteria for service connection based on in-service noise exposure or other established medical evidence.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain updated VA examination and treatment records, as well as for a new evaluation of his service-connected lumbosacral strain.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to missing service treatment records and the need for additional examinations to determine the etiology of his claimed disabilities.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection and increased ratings are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining Social Security records and VA examinations.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, right shoulder disability, neck disability, upper back disability, tinnitus, and PTSD were denied. The effective dates for the grants of service connection for PTSD and low back disability are not earlier than May 6, 2009, and September 22, 2009 respectively.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for scheduling a Travel Board hearing at the earliest time permitted.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals for service connection and an initial compensable disability evaluation for the issues listed, including bilateral hearing loss. The appeal is dismissed without prejudice.

The Board has determined that additional evidence is needed to fully and fairly consider the Veteran's claims, including private treatment records from her most recent period of active duty service.

The Board finds that the Veteran's degenerative arthritis and degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine are related to his service-connected lumbar spondylosis with low grade multilevel lumbar degenerative retrolisthesis L5-S1 and right L4-5 neural foraminal stenosis.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his lumbar spine degenerative disk disease is granted, with a current evaluation of 10 percent.

The Veteran's neck disability is being remanded for a new VA examination to determine its etiology. His low back disability is also being remanded for an updated rating and his TDIU claim remains pending.

The Veteran's PTSD is found to be related to his service, while the cervical spine disability is not shown to have been incurred in or aggravated by service.

The Board finds that the reduction of the Veteran's disability ratings for degenerative disc disease, lumbar spine and tender scarring, abdomen from inguinal hernia repair was proper as there was improvement in both conditions.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected herniated nucleus pulposus (HNP) with degenerative disc disease was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation, as there were no findings of unfavorable ankylosis or incapacitating episodes of intervertebral disc disease during the appeal period.

The Veteran's right shoulder disorder, including DJD and AVN, is not service-connected.,Prior to October 6, 2010, the Veteran's DDD of the lumbar spine was rated at 10 percent. After this date, a higher rating is denied.

The Board found that the Veteran's current lumbar spine disability is not related to his in-service assault and denied service connection for residuals of a lumbar spine injury.

The Veteran's service connection for PTSD and associated benefits were granted effective July 21, 2001.

The Veteran is entitled to a TDIU prior to January 17, 2013 due to service-connected dysthymic disorder and other disabilities that rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.