Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA medical records and potentially seeking an additional medical opinion. The Veteran's claims will be re-adjudicated based on all evidence.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional records related to his treatment for wrist and back symptomatology. The service connection claims will be reconsidered based on the new evidence.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for various conditions, including left knee disability, left shoulder disability, back disability, brain tumor, headaches, skin condition, hypertension, and sleep disorder. The evidence does not support a finding that these conditions are related to his military service.

The Board has ordered additional development of the Veteran's service treatment records and requested a legible copy of his entrance examination. The appeal will be returned to the RO for further consideration.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including depression and panic disorder manifesting with alcohol abuse, was granted. The Board found that the current psychiatric disabilities are causally related to symptoms first experienced in active military service.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and left ear disability to include hearing loss due to lack of evidence of a current disability, as well as failure to establish an etiological relationship between the Veteran's active service and his diagnosed hearing loss.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim of service connection for residuals, soft tissue injury of right hand. The petition to reopen his claims for service connection for lower back strain and heart murmur is also granted.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for further development, including obtaining additional VA clinical records and scheduling a VA examination. The issue of entitlement to an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for the service-connected residuals of a low back injury will be readjudicated after these actions.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine and remanded it for further development.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need to obtain outstanding service treatment records from his activated service in the Alabama Army National Guard and U.S. Army Reserve.

The Veteran's current back disability did not manifest in service or within a year of service, was not aggravated by service, and is not otherwise related to service. Therefore, the claim for service connection for his back disability has been denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including his morphine addiction and pain management, caused or contributed to his death by overdose. Therefore, the cause of death is deemed service connected.

The Board found that there is no evidence to support a connection between the Veteran's current degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine and his active service, thus denying the claim.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current cervical spine degenerative disc disease with left C7 radiculopathy is related to his in-service neck injury, and therefore grants service connection for these conditions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a right hip disorder and an increased rating for her low back disability. The Veteran was also denied TDIU, as her service-connected disabilities did not preclude substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions have been rated based on their current severity, with some issues receiving higher ratings than others. The overall disposition is denied for all claims.

The Board is remanding the case for another VA examination to determine if a cervical spine disability, including as due to service-connected lumbar spine disability, was incurred during active service or caused by it. The Veteran's in-service neck injury will be considered.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining clarification from the Hughston Clinic and Tuskegee VAMC records. The case will be readjudicated after these actions.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation as of December 23, 2005.

The Board found that the Veteran's current low back disability is not related to his active service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.