Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Veteran seeks entitlement to automobile and adaptive equipment or adaptive equipment only due to his service-connected lumbar degenerative disc disease with moderate left lower extremity S1 radiculopathy. The Board has decided the case requires further examination and development.

The Board has determined that a new VA examination is needed to address whether the Veteran's back disability, if present, is due to or aggravated by his service-connected knee disabilities. The appeal will be remanded for this purpose.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to the death of the appellant. The Board had no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of this claim.

The Veteran does not have additional disability as a result of carelessness, negligence, lack of proper skill, error in judgment or similar instance of fault on part of VA in furnishing surgical treatment in February 1999, and the results of the surgery were reasonably foreseeable.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate VA examinations and needs further development before a final decision can be made.

The Veteran's lumbar spine strain is rated at 20 percent, effective July 8, 2005.

The Board denied service connection for degenerative changes of the lumbar spine with spina bifida occulta, finding that there was no evidence linking the current disability to service.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his low back disability and associated left leg nerve impairment were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not show forward flexion of the thoracolumbar spine limited to 30 degrees or less, nor did it show incapacitating episodes with a total duration of at least 4 weeks in a prior 12 month period for his low back disability. For his left leg nerve impairment, there was no separate rating assigned as he already had a separate rating for the condition.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim of service connection for a low back disorder and bilateral knee disorder, finding that new and material evidence has been received. The Board also found that these disorders are secondary to his service-connected cold injury residuals.,Service connection is granted for a low back disorder and bilateral knee disorder as they are considered secondary to the Veteran's service-connected cold injury residuals of the feet.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations were denied. The Board found no evidence of ankylosis or malunion of the tibia and fibula, which would warrant higher ratings under applicable diagnostic codes.

The Veteran's DDD, lumbar spine was rated at 40 percent from September 28, 2004. The Board granted this rating.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings were denied. The initial noncompensable rating for asthma was granted, but the claim for an increase to a higher rating since March 10, 2005, was denied.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his lumbar spine disability is being remanded due to the need for a more contemporaneous VA examination.

The Board has remanded the case for scheduling a videoconference hearing due to the appellant's request.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is currently rated at 40 percent, and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted based on the evidence of record.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, hypertension, cervical spine disorders, lumbosacral spine disorders, residuals of a left humeral fracture (steel plate in left arm), and severe joint disease are not related to his active service. The claims for these conditions have been denied.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for psoriasis, degenerative joint and disc disease of the lumbar spine, and degenerative joint disease of the left knee were denied as there is no evidence to support a higher rating based on current symptoms.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, which effectively resolves the Veteran's appeal. The claim of entitlement to an increased evaluation for degenerative disk disease of the lumbar spine is remanded as there remains a justiciable issue regarding the appropriate rating and effective date. The claim of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss is also remanded due to inadequate VA examination.

The Veteran's claim for higher initial ratings for his service-connected low back disorder has been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating prior to March 17, 2008 and from March 17, 2008 onward.

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for low back disability but denied it on the merits. The evidence does not establish a link between the current low back disability and service.