Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for a low back condition was granted by the AMC in March 2013, effective from November 9, 2003. The claim of entitlement to service connection for numbness in both arms and legs remains pending.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's lumbar spine disability warrants a 20 percent evaluation, which is the maximum schedular rating available under Diagnostic Code 5243 for intervertebral disc syndrome.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's lumbar spine disability is not service-connected as there is no credible evidence of a nexus between his current condition and his military service. The claim for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for post concussion syndrome with headaches remains pending.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability was not incurred or aggravated by service, and the Board finds that there is no evidence of a direct relationship between his current condition and his in-service injury.

The Board found no evidence of a service connection for the Veteran's lumbar spine, cervical spine, or left knee disabilities. The conditions were not shown to be related to his in-service motor vehicle accident.

The Board denied service connection for back, rib/chest, and bilateral arm disabilities as there is no competent evidence linking these conditions to service.,There are no post-service medical records documenting current residuals of a head injury.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a low back disorder and arthritis of the wrists, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.,There is insufficient evidence to establish a link between the Veteran's current low back and wrist disorders and his active duty service.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss, low back disability, and radiculopathy of the lower extremities have been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for higher ratings at any point during the appeal period.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have residuals of a broken neck, left leg numbness, insomnia, left and right elbow disorders, neuropathy of the left and right hands, or a thoracolumbar spine disorder that are related to his active service.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for further development of non-Federal records related to the claim.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's osteoarthritis of the left knee and degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine are related to his active military service.

The Veteran's appeal for increased evaluations of his cervical spine disability has been withdrawn.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for low back strain with degenerative disc disease, L5-S1, was granted. The initial rating assigned is 10 percent prior to April 8, 2009 and 40 percent thereafter.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for further development, including obtaining SSA records and providing supplemental medical comments. His claims of service connection are pending.

The Veteran's back disability is not service-connected due to lack of evidence linking it to his military service. His bilateral foot and shoulder disabilities are pending as the evidence is insufficient to determine their connection to service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS) of both the cervical and lumbar spine, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and initial evaluations were granted, with a rating of 40 percent assigned for his service-connected herniated nucleus pulposus of the lumbar spine. The other conditions received favorable decisions as well.

The Board has granted service connection for a low back disability and residuals of umbilical hernia. The issues regarding the gastrointestinal disorder including GERD, esophagitis/ gastritis, and residuals of hiatal hernia are addressed in the remand portion.

The Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine disability did not meet the criteria for a higher rating prior to July 27, 2009.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and an earlier effective date for TDIU were denied. The Veteran is currently rated at 60 percent for intervertebral disc syndrome with degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, but not higher, from April 11, 2012. He also has separate 20 percent ratings for radiculopathy of the right and left lower extremities from November 30, 2011 to June 14, 2013, with no higher ratings thereafter.