Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Board has granted service connection for degenerative joint disease of the left knee and degenerative changes in the lumbar spine as secondary to a service-connected injury. The veteran's current conditions are related to his service-connected status post-left fibular fracture with traumatic arthritis of the tibiotalar joint.

The veteran's left ankle disability was granted service connection and rated at 20 percent from May 30, 2000 to August 11, 2004. The rating for the left ankle disability was increased to 30 percent effective December 1, 2004.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a back disability and an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss. The veteran was found to have arthritis of the lumbar spine, but no direct link between his active duty and this condition. His bilateral hearing loss was also not considered service-connected.

The veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 10 percent for his lumbosacral strain from August 13, 2002 to September 25, 2003 was denied as there was no showing of muscle spasm on extreme forward bending or unilateral loss of lateral spine motion. The veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 20 percent for his lumbosacral strain from September 26, 2003 is pending and will be addressed after additional evidence is obtained.

The veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional medical records and examinations.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, left ankle disorder, and low back disorder due to a lack of medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including verification of claimed stressors and consideration of his service connection claims.

The Board found that the veteran's low back strain and ganglion cyst of the left wrist do not meet the criteria for a compensable rating under VA's schedular guidelines.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for compensation benefits under the provisions of 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151, an increased rating for service-connected acne vulgaris, and service connection for low back disorder, left hip disorder, and right knee disorder secondary to his service-connected left knee disability.

The veteran's appeal for service connection of a low back disability is being remanded to the RO for further action, including scheduling a Travel Board hearing.

The Board found that there is no evidence linking the veteran's GBS, hair loss, skin lesions, and hypertrophic changes of the lumbar spine to his military service or exposure to ionizing radiation. The conditions were determined to be not incurred in or aggravated by active service.

The veteran's service-connected postoperative residuals of perirectal abscess and lumbosacral spine injury have been rated at the maximum schedular evaluation (40 percent) under Diagnostic Code 5292, effective from July 1997. The TDIU claim has also been granted.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current low back disability is related to his active duty service, specifically to the back complaints noted during active duty service. Therefore, service connection for degenerative joint disease of the lumbosacral spine with degenerative disc disease is granted.

The Board granted the veteran's claim, assigning an initial evaluation of 20 percent for his service-connected lumbosacral injury with spondylosis of L5-S1 effective September 26, 2003.

The Board has found the evidence sufficient to reopen the veteran's claim for service connection for prostatitis. The claims for arthritis of the lumbosacral spine, shoulders and knees, as well as hepatitis C remain on remand due to incomplete or insufficient evidence.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for a disability evaluation in excess of 60 percent for degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine, finding that his symptoms did not meet or approximate the criteria for a higher rating under the applicable VA rating criteria.

The Board has determined that the veteran's low back disorder and psychiatric disorder are related to service, warranting service connection for both conditions.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for lumbar spine arthritis, right knee arthritis, and left knee arthritis with residuals of a proximal tibia fracture due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service.

The veteran's low back strain with sciatic and left L-5 radiculopathy and bilateral sacroiliac joint narrowing results in a disability comparable to severe intervertebral disc syndrome, warranting a 40 percent evaluation.

The Board found that the veteran's low back disorder was not incurred in or aggravated by active military service, nor is it secondary to a service-connected right leg fracture.