Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine if the Veteran's low back disability is service-connected. The case will be returned for this purpose.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and a low back disorder, finding that there was no evidence of in-service noise exposure or other causative factors.

The Veteran's lumbosacral radiculopathy, right leg was rated at 20 percent prior to October 8, 2008 and denied for a higher rating. Since October 8, 2008, the claim remains denied as his condition does not meet the criteria for a disability rating in excess of 40 percent.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings were denied. The Board found no evidence of current anemia, and the Veteran does not have chronic anemia. For his degenerative disc disease, C5-6, with cervical strain, the VA examiner did not find any limitation in motion or other symptoms that would warrant a higher rating. His right ear hearing loss was also rated as 0 percent disabling.

The Veteran's claims for higher initial and subsequent ratings for cervical spine disability, lumbar spine disability, and excisions of basal cell carcinoma were denied. The RO granted service connection for these conditions but did not assign any effective dates or specific ratings.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial disability rating greater than 20 percent for thoracolumbar disc disease, finding that his range of motion did not meet the criteria for a higher rating. The issue regarding urinary incontinence was also addressed and determined to be unrelated to service-connected thoracolumbar disc disease.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for TDIU was denied as the earliest date of entitlement arose is June 10, 2003 when he filed a claim for increased disability ratings.

The Board has granted a 20 percent disability rating for the appellant's chronic strain of the lumbar spine, to include degenerative disc disease. The other issues remain unresolved.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination to assess his employability given his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has remanded the case due to failure to report for a VA examination and outstanding medical records not obtained. The Veteran's address needs to be verified, and he should be notified of the scheduled examination.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for lumbar spine and cervical spine disabilities due to additional evidence received since the May 2009 supplemental statement of the case.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a back disorder is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling an examination.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for a Travel Board hearing on his claims of service connection for low back disorder, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus.

The Veteran's claim for a higher evaluation for lumbosacral strain was granted, with an initial rating of 40 percent effective October 19, 2008.

The Board found that the Veteran's back disorder is not related to his military service and denied his claim.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a new VA examination to determine if his current back condition is related to service. The case will be readjudicated after this.

The Board found that the low back disability is not related to service and denied the claim.

The Board found that the Veteran's low back disability was not incurred in or aggravated by active military service and denied his claim.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including a VA examination to determine if the Veteran's current back disorder is related to his active service.

The Veteran's claims for an increased evaluation of his lumbar spine disability and a TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional medical records, examinations, and development.