Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Veteran's claim for an increased evaluation for his service-connected lumbosacral strain is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination and additional development of the record.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional records from medical facilities and his employer.

The Board has granted service connection for partial left femoral nerve injury and tinnitus, finding that these conditions were not the result of the Veteran's willful misconduct. The other issues related to service connection have been denied.

The Board has determined that a new examination and medical opinion are necessary to properly adjudicate the Veteran's claim for service connection of his lumbosacral spine strain with degenerative changes. The current examination report is inadequate as it did not consider all of the Veteran's history or complaints, including continuous low back pain since an in-service injury.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining Social Security Administration (SSA) disability benefit determinations and relevant VA treatment records from the Milwaukee VAMC. A VA spine examination is also scheduled.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and arranging for an orthopedic examination to determine the nature and likely etiology of his left shoulder and low back disabilities. The RO will also issue a supplemental statement of the case addressing the increased rating claim for PTSD with symptoms of anxiety and depression.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current disability related to his service, and therefore, he is not entitled to service connection for a back disability or residuals of a concussion.

The Board found that the Veteran's cervical radiculopathy, status post laminotomy, discectomy, and foraminotomy, as well as her lower back disability (DDD and DJD), are not related to service. The claims were denied.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected low back strain and post-herpetic neuralgia of the right axilla and right lateral chest were denied as there was no evidence to support a higher rating under the applicable VA rating criteria.

The Veteran's appeals have been resolved by the RO, and he has received staged ratings for his disabilities. As a result, there are no remaining issues to be decided.

The Board has ordered a remand due to the submission of new evidence and unclear examination findings. The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is being evaluated, as well as his claimed lower extremity radiculopathy.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied. The Board found no new and material evidence to reopen the claim of an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD. Service connection was also denied for a skin disorder, low back disorder, sleep disorder, stomach disorder, penis deformity, prostate disorder, and heart disease.

The Veteran's chronic low back strain with degenerative joint disease L5/S1 is currently rated at 20 percent, and the evidence does not support a higher rating.

The Veteran's lumbar spondylosis has been rated at 20 percent since March 1, 2004. The Board granted a TDIU rating prior to September 16, 2010.

The Board found that the Veteran's low back and neck disabilities did not have their clinical onset in service or are otherwise related to service. The VA examinations and VHA opinion concluded that any current DJD and DDD of the lumbar spine were not incurred during service.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records from specific VA facilities and Social Security Administration records. The issues will be reconsidered under the appropriate criteria.

The Board finds that the Veteran does not currently have any neurological manifestations of a lumbar spine disability, and thus service connection for this condition is denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations to determine the current severity of her conditions.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to insufficient examination reports addressing specific issues.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right knee disability, back disability, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus, type 2. The Board found that there was no evidence of chronic conditions in service or within one year after separation from service, and that the Veteran did not have continuous symptoms since separation. Service connection could not be established on a direct basis due to lack of medical nexus between current disabilities and service. The Veteran's claim for diabetes mellitus, type 2, was denied as there is no evidence of herbicide exposure in Japan.