Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Veteran's low back disability is rated at 10 percent, but the Board found that a higher rating was not warranted. The claim for service connection of anemia and associated hysterectomy has been reopened due to new evidence.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for sciatic neuralgia of the left leg is being remanded to allow for a new VA examination and consideration of his symptoms since the last evaluation.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for a lumbo-thoracic spine disability has been reopened and granted. The Veteran is still denied service connection for left knee, right knee, and psychiatric disabilities as they are not related to his service-connected residuals of a fractured left fibula with left ankle strain.

The Board found that the September 1976 rating decision did not contain clear and unmistakable error (CUE) in continuing a 20 percent evaluation for lumbrosacral strain with recurrent sciatic neuropathy degenerative disc disease at L5 level. The Veteran's claim for an increased rating was also denied.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and development of his medical records.

The Veteran's claim for an increased evaluation for her service-connected degenerative disc disease with spinal stenosis and S1 radiculopathy is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including a VA examination.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and a lumbar spine disorder, finding no new and material evidence. The claim for residuals of frostbite was also denied.

The Board finds that the Veteran's low back disorder is not causally or etiologically related to active service and may not be presumed to have been incurred. There is no medical evidence relating his low back disorder to his service-connected bilateral pes planus.

The Board has denied all service connection claims, except for PTSD and abdominal scar. The Veteran's bilateral shin splints, left hip quad strain, GERD, stomach ulcer, residuals of a fracture of the right 5th toe, neck disability, abnormal pap test, ovarian cyst, constipation, hemorrhoids, left knee disability, and sinusitis have not been found to be related to her military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a back disorder and a psychiatric disorder, as well as his claim for headaches secondary to a head injury scar. The bilateral patellar femoral syndrome was not shown until after service.

The Veteran's back disorder was incurred in service and the Board granted service connection for spondylosis of the lumbar spine involving L4-L5, and L5-S1.

The Board has declined to reopen the claims for PTSD, cervical spine disability, and lumbar spine disability. The Veteran's new evidence does not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating these claims.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to incomplete STRs and the need for additional VA examinations.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and conducting VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of his claimed low back disorder, right thigh disorder, and acquired psychiatric disorder.

The Veteran's claim for a total disability rating by reason of individual unemployability (TDIU) is being remanded due to the need for additional evidence regarding her employment status and functional impairment caused by her service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a chronic complex partial seizure disorder and a chronic low back disorder have not been granted. The claim for service connection for the complex partial seizure disorder has been reopened, but the low back disorder claim remains denied.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA examinations to determine if the Veteran's right knee and low back disorders are related to his service-connected left knee disability.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for restoration of a 40 percent rating for low back disability, assignment of an effective date prior to September 16, 1991, for the assignment of a 60 percent disability rating for low back disability, and total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities. The Veteran's service-connected conditions are found to meet the criteria for these benefits.

The Board denied a higher initial rating for the Veteran's service-connected lumbosacral spine injury with degenerative changes and dismissed his claim for an earlier effective date. The appeal is now remanded to obtain a VA examination and consider new lay evidence.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his lumbar spine DDD was granted, with a current rating of 20 percent.