Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Board has determined that the appellant did not require regular aid and attendance prior to June 12, 2009, as evidenced by her ability to care for herself based on VA examinations conducted in April 2004 and June 2009. The effective date of the award is therefore denied.

The Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine resulted in limited spinal motion, but did not meet the criteria for higher initial ratings. The current rating of 20% is appropriate since July 8, 2011.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied as his claimed conditions are not related to his military service or any incident of service. The Board found that the current disabilities are unrelated to his active duty and do not meet the criteria for service connection.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, were denied as there was no evidence of a nexus between the current disabilities and his military service.

The Board found that the Veteran's current thoracic and lumbar spine disorders are not related to his service, either directly or as secondary to a service-connected condition.

The Board has ordered a remand to obtain additional medical opinions regarding the Veteran's low back and left knee disabilities, as these issues were not fully addressed in the previous examinations.

The Veteran's low back disability has been rated at 20 percent since October 25, 2012. The claim for higher ratings prior to that date is denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to assess the severity of his service-connected lumbar spine disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current skin rash of the hands and lumbar spine disability are not related to his active service. The skin condition is presumed to have occurred due to an in-service injury, but there is no evidence of a chronic condition since service. For the lumbar spine disability, while the Veteran reported injuring his back during service, there is no medical evidence linking this injury to his current condition.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD, lumbar and cervical spine disabilities, and chloracne. The decision also restored service connection for tinnitus effective May 1, 2008.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's low back, left knee, and coronary artery disease with left ventricular hypertrophy and mitral valve regurgitation, status post angioplasty, disabilities are all service-connected.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed, including obtaining Social Security Administration records and VA treatment records. The claims for reopening service connection will be reconsidered after this additional information is obtained.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and requesting a medical opinion regarding her unemployability due to service-connected disabilities prior to May 1, 2010. The case will also be referred to the Director of Compensation Services for extraschedular consideration.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling examinations to determine the nature of the appellant's disabilities and their relationship to service.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral foot or toenail fungal condition and low back disability. The cases are REMANDED to the RO for further development.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development to determine if the Veteran needs regular aid and attendance due to his service-connected low back disability. The Veteran is currently service connected for recurrent lumbosacral strain with degenerative disc disease, but the VA examiner's findings are inadequate for a reasoned determination.

The Veteran's claims for higher initial ratings for lumbar spine degenerative disc disease and left lumbar radiculopathy were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating at any point during the appeal period.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability was granted a 40 percent rating effective from September 29, 2011. The claim for TDIU is pending.

The Veteran's combined disability evaluation for compensation is 50 percent effective March 19, 2003. The criteria for entitlement to a TDIU are not met.

The Board found that the Veteran's low back disability, including degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, did not have its onset in service and could not be presumed to have been incurred therein. The evidence does not support a finding that the current condition is related to active duty.