Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current back disorder is not related to his service and has denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation consistent with his education and occupational experience.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records from 1974 to 1990 and providing supplemental opinions regarding his hypertension.

The Board found that the Veteran's current low back disorder did not manifest during service or within one year thereafter, and the preponderance of evidence is against a finding that it is related to his period of service.

The Board found that the Veteran's low back disability did not manifest during service or due to a service-connected right knee disability, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from engaging in substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The lumbar spine disability was rated at 10 percent, peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities at 10 percent each, and no new or material evidence was presented to reopen previously denied hip and shoulder disabilities.

The Board found that the Veteran's lumbar spine disability did not have its clinical onset in service and is not otherwise related to active duty. Degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine was not exhibited within the first post-service year.

The Board denied service connection for a left knee disability and back disability in previous decisions. New evidence submitted since these decisions does not meet the criteria to reopen either claim.,There is no medical evidence showing that the Veteran's current left knee or back disabilities are related to his service-connected right knee disability.

The Veteran's lumbar degenerative disc disease was rated at 20 percent before September 17, 2012 and increased to 40 percent from that date.,The Veteran is currently rated at 40 percent for his lumbar degenerative disc disease.

The Board finds that the Veteran is not entitled to service connection for his bilateral hip DJD or low back condition as there is no evidence of a chronic disability during service, within one year after separation from service, or related to service.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development and consideration, including obtaining medical records and providing the Veteran with an addendum opinion from a VA examiner.

The Veteran's lumbar strain resulted in reduced range of motion, but did not meet the criteria for higher ratings under VA rating criteria. The initial rating prior to August 4, 2009 was granted at 20 percent and a subsequent increase to 10 percent was also granted starting from that date.

The Board has remanded the case due to missing records and an addendum opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran's low back disorder and his service-connected pes planus.

The Board found that the Veteran's back disorder did not have its onset in service, is otherwise unrelated to his military service, and was not manifest within one year of discharge. The initial compensable ratings for hypertension and rhinitis were also denied.

The Board found that the Veteran's chronic low back disability was not incurred in or aggravated by active military service, nor may degenerative joint disease (i.e. osteoarthritis) be presumed to have been so incurred.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a Travel Board hearing at the RO. The issues of service connection for a back disorder and an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, are pending.

The Board denied an evaluation in excess of 10 percent for the Veteran's lumbar spine disability prior to December 6, 2010.

The Board has ordered a remand to obtain an examination and opinion regarding the Veteran's low back disability, specifically whether it is secondary to his service-connected prostate cancer.

The Board found that the Veteran's current low back disability did not have onset in service and was not caused by his active military service, thus denying his claim for service connection.