Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and arranging for a VA examination to determine the nature, extent, onset, and etiology of the Veteran's back disorder.

The Veteran's appeal involves multiple service connection claims for various conditions, some of which have been reopened due to new evidence. The case is being remanded for further development and readjudication.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a chronic sinus disorder or residuals of viral hepatitis related to his service. The claim for back disorder and hypertension is pending.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The claim for an initial disability rating in excess of 10 percent for postoperative degenerative disc disease, neurological manifestation of the left lower extremity was granted but not appealed. The claim for a disability rating in excess of 40 percent for postoperative degenerative disc disease of the thoracolumbar spine was denied.

The Veteran's prostate cancer, low back disability, and right hip disability were not incurred or aggravated by his active service. The Board found no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including low back disability, sinusitis, allergic rhinitis, eye disorder (compound hypermetropic astigmatism), nausea, groin pain, flat feet, and stress fractures of both feet. The primary reason was a lack of current medical evidence supporting these claims.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been received sufficient to reopen the previously denied claim for service connection for a back condition.

The Board has determined that a VA examination is needed to determine the nature and etiology of any currently diagnosed lower back disability, as well as to assess whether it had its onset in service. The Veteran's claims file must be made available for review.

The Veteran's claims were denied due to lack of new and material evidence for his service connection claims for right wrist, neck, low back, and left shoulder conditions. His headaches and left wrist condition were granted a 10% disability rating.

The Board has granted a 10% disability rating for bilateral hearing loss effective March 10, 2008. The Veteran's right leg condition is secondary to his service-connected degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine.

The Veteran's tension headaches were granted a compensable rating from July 1, 2004 to September 16, 2009. Since then, the appeal is denied for higher ratings. Service connection for a low back condition was reopened but not established.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected chronic low back strain, finding that the evidence did not support a higher evaluation than 20 percent. The appeal regarding denial of service connection for various conditions was also denied.

The Veteran's service-connected back disability and associated left lower extremity neurological impairment are currently rated at 10 percent, effective December 31, 2002. The Board found that the current evaluations do not adequately reflect the severity of his disabilities.

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary prior to the adjudication of this claim, including scheduling a VA examination and obtaining relevant medical records.

The Board has determined that additional evidentiary development is necessary prior to the adjudication of the appellant's claim for an increased disability evaluation for her service-connected low back pain and lumbar myositis. The case is REMANDED for obtaining VAMC treatment records from October 2006 to the present, scheduling a new VA spine examination, and readjudicating the claim.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional medical records and for further examinations. The issues of increased rating, service connection for right ankle disorder, and service connection for low back injury will be reconsidered after these actions.

The Board found that the Veteran's pre-existing back injury did not increase in severity during his period of active duty from November 1990 to April 1991, and thus denied service connection for a back disorder.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate VCAA notice and will provide a new letter addressing service-connected conditions at the time of the Veteran's death, as well as conditions not yet service-connected.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for secondary service connection and increased rating of his degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine due to lack of a medical opinion regarding whether radiculopathy is a manifestation of this condition, and because more contemporaneous orthopedic and neurological examinations are needed.

The Veteran's service-connected degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine is currently rated at 10 percent, and his claim for an increased rating has been granted.