Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Board found that the Veteran's back disability, groin rash, and hemorrhoids did not begin in service or until many years after service. The claims for service connection were denied as there was no competent medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied as there is no current evidence of a disability or symptoms related to the claimed conditions.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability has been rated at the maximum allowable under Diagnostic Code 5003, and no higher rating is warranted based on current evidence of record.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional medical development and readjudication of his claims.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a compensable rating for right ear hearing loss, and denied entitlement to an evaluation in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus, lumbar strain with levoscoliosis prior to May 4, 2009, costochondritis (chest pain and shortness of breath), or hypertensive heart disease.

The Veteran's claims for psychiatric, low back, and right shoulder disabilities are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeal for an increased evaluation for his lumbar spine wedge fracture with degenerative joint disease, and the Board does not have jurisdiction to review this issue.

The Board found that the Veteran's service-connected PTSD did not cause or contribute to his death, which was caused by an assault. The Board concluded that the Veteran's PTSD did not cause him to initiate a physical altercation resulting in his death.

The Board has granted service connection for left foot strain with hammer toe of the left second toe and assigned a noncompensable initial rating. Service connection was also granted for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine and osteoarthritis of the knees, both found to be secondary to active service.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including obtaining treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to assess the severity of his service-connected low back disability. The claims for increased rating and TDIU are inextricably intertwined.

The Veteran's bilateral pes planus was found to be not aggravated by service, and his mechanical low back strain and right knee disability were both denied as secondary to service-connected left ankle fracture.

The Board finds that the Veteran's current lumbar spine, cervical spine, and left knee disabilities are not related to service. The preponderance of evidence does not support a finding that these conditions had their onset in service or within one year following service discharge.

The Veteran's initial schedular ratings for low back injury residuals and right lower extremity radiculopathy have been denied as his symptoms do not more nearly approximate the criteria for higher ratings under the applicable rating schedule.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's DDD of the lumbar spine and spondylolisthesis first manifested during service, granting her claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left lower extremity radiculopathy is a separate compensable rating, but no other neurological manifestations of his lumbosacral disc disease are separately rated.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current back disorders and psychiatric disorders are not due to disease or injury incurred in or aggravated by his active military service.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for chondromalacia of the right and left knees were denied. However, his claim for increase in degenerative disc disease of the lumbosacral spine was granted with a rating of 20 percent effective April 12, 2011.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for cervical and thoracolumbar spine disorders, as well as secondary radiculopathy. The cervical spine disorder was deemed not incurred in service due to lack of pre-existing condition noted at entry, while the thoracolumbar spine disorders were found unrelated to service.

The Veteran's lumbosacral strain with degenerative disc disease was granted an initial disability evaluation of 20 percent, effective November 23, 2010.

The Veteran's lumbar spondylosis with degenerative disc disease is currently rated at 20 percent, the maximum schedular rating available. The Board finds that a higher evaluation is not warranted as his disability does not meet or approximate any of the criteria for a higher rating under the applicable diagnostic codes.