Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Board found that the Veteran's current cervical spine disability is not related to service, and thus denied his claims for service connection.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection and initial evaluations for his claimed conditions, including chronic headaches, left ear hearing loss, low back disorder, and right ear hearing loss.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, hypertension, a low back disorder, and a left eye pterygium due to further development. The effective date of any grant of service connection remains unresolved.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need to obtain his personnel file and any relevant medical records, including those from Wiesbaden Regional Medical Center. The Veteran will be scheduled for examinations to determine if his current disabilities were caused or aggravated by his service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's residuals, lumbar spine strain warrant a 20 percent rating, effective from the date of service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is related to his active service and grants service connection for this condition. The claim for a back condition secondary to left uterteral pelvic junction obstruction was not addressed due to insufficient evidence.

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary to properly adjudicate the Veteran's claims, including obtaining private treatment records and scheduling a VA examination.

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

The Board has remanded the case for further development and clarification of representation, as well as for compliance with VCAA requirements. The appellant's claim will be re-adjudicated after these steps.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling an orthopedic examination. The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for lumbar disc disease is pending.

The Veteran's PTSD causes significant impairment in work, social relationships, and mood. The Board has granted a 70 percent rating for PTSD.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability was granted an initial rating of 10 percent, but the psychiatric disorder and pseudofolliculitis barbae claims were denied. The appeal for service connection on all three issues is considered 'mixed' due to some elements being granted.

The Board found no current competent evidence of deviated nasal septum, bilateral knee disability, or low back disorder. Therefore, service connection for these conditions was denied.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate reasons and bases in its February 2008 decision, which found that the Veteran's back disability was not service-connected. The Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC) agreed with the Secretary’s concession that the June 2005 opinion is based solely on the Veteran's reported history.

The Board denied the Veteran's applications to reopen his claims for service connection for a low back disorder and bilateral hearing loss disability, finding no new and material evidence.

The Veteran's low back disability is manifested by flexion to greater than 30 degrees, even with repetitive motion, no incapacitating episodes, and no neurological abnormalities. The criteria for an initial disability rating in excess of 20 percent have not been met.

The Veteran's low back disability has been rated at 40 percent for the period prior to August 4, 2009, and a rating of 20 percent has been granted for urinary incontinence as a neurological manifestation of his low back disability since June 1, 2005. Fecal incontinence was also rated at 30 percent effective from June 1, 2005.,The Veteran's other neurological manifestations of the low back disability have been rated at 40 percent for the period prior to August 4, 2009, and a rating of 20 percent has been granted since May 20, 2005.

The Board found that the Veteran's current back and bilateral knee disabilities were not incurred in service, and thus denied service connection for these conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed disabilities were not incurred or aggravated during active service and are not shown to have developed as a result of an established event, injury, or disease during active service. The claims for service connection are therefore denied.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of a chronic low back disability and denied his claim for service connection.