Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left ankle disability is related to her service, and thus granted service connection for this condition. The cervical spine disability was not shown to be related to service.

The Board granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for mechanical low back pain, instability of the right knee, and instability of the left knee. The effective dates for these grants are set at November 18, 1997.

The Veteran withdrew her appeal for an increased evaluation of her service-connected degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, currently rated at 40 percent.

The Board found no evidence of a current disability related to the Veteran's claimed conditions and denied all service connection claims.

The Veteran's service-connected cephalgia, tension type headaches are currently rated at 50 percent and the claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent is granted.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to his withdrawal of the appeals for left ankle sprain with instability and mechanical low back pain. The claim for increased evaluation for migraine headaches is denied as they do not meet the criteria for a higher rating, but are currently rated at 30 percent. The claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 70 percent for PTSD remains pending.

The VA determined that the appellant's low back disability, which has been rated at 40 percent since 1975, does not warrant a higher evaluation as it does not meet the criteria for an increased rating under the applicable diagnostic codes.

The Board found that the evidence received since the December 2002 denial is not new and material, thus denying the Veteran's request to reopen his claim for service connection for lumbosacral strain.

The Veteran's service-connected chronic lumbosacral strain is currently rated at 20 percent, and the Board finds that it does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Veteran's cervical spine, lumbar spine, right shoulder, and right carpal tunnel syndrome disabilities have been granted increased initial evaluations. The TDIU claim is pending.

The Board found no evidence of a chronic low back disability during service and concluded that the Veteran's current low back disability is not related to any incident of service, including his reported 1964 injury. As such, service connection for low back disability was denied.

The Veteran's claim for TDIU was denied as she did not meet the criteria for a TDIU rating due to her service-connected disabilities, and there is no evidence of unemployability prior to December 2, 2004.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's low back disability was manifested by chronic pain, with flare-ups and exacerbations, but no more than complaints of limitation of lumbar motion. The effective date for a 40 percent rating is set at November 29, 2004.

The Board found that the Veteran's low back disorder and left leg nerve disorder were not incurred in or aggravated by service, nor are they related to his service-connected patellofemoral pain disorder of the left knee. Therefore, service connection for these conditions was denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examination and development of his claims.

The Veteran's claim for an increased disability rating for low back strain is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining VA and private treatment records, a new VA spine examination, and assessing the impact of his service-connected disabilities on his ability to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's PTSD is found to be etiologically related to a verified in-service stressor, the forklift accident. Service connection for PTSD is granted.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling the Veteran for a VA examination to assess his lumbosacral spine, left knee arthritis, and left knee instability.

The Veteran's claim for a TDIU rating due to service-connected disabilities, including low back disability and radiculopathy of the bilateral lower extremities, is being remanded for additional development.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied, but the March 1971 rating decision is not considered to be clearly and unmistakably erroneous. The case was remanded for further development.