Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Board denied the claims for service connection for a low back disability, refractive error of the eyes, residuals of a head injury, brain aneurysm, and generalized arthritis due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for low back disability and left leg shortening, finding that new evidence did not establish a relationship to service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of trenchfeet, low back injury, and bilateral hearing loss. The veteran did not have a diagnosed condition related to these issues during or after his military service.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the inextricability of issues, and a video teleconference hearing will be scheduled for him.

The veteran's claim for an increased evaluation of his service-connected fracture of the lumbar spine is being remanded due to recent revisions in rating criteria and incomplete medical records.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for a back disability, finding that there was no current chronic back disability resulting from an in-service event.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings and reopening of his service connection claim were denied. The post-operative residuals, fracture, right scaphoid condition is currently rated at 20 percent disabling.

The Board granted a rating of 50 percent for PTSD effective March 1, 2004. The veteran's lumbosacral strain and GERD were also rated as requested.

The Board has granted a 40% evaluation for the veteran's lumbosacral spine degenerative disc disease prior to March 5, 2001. The reduction of his post-operative lumbosacral spine degenerative disc disease from 60% to 40% effective January 1, 2004 was improper. A compensable evaluation for the veteran's chronic right (major) shoulder injury residuals is denied.

The veteran's low back disability, characterized by pronounced intervertebral disc syndrome and severe limitation of the lumbar spine with demonstrable deformity of a vertebral body resulting from a fractured vertebra, is rated at 60 percent. His cervical spine disability, characterized by severe limitation of motion, is rated at 30 percent.

The Board has determined that the veteran's cervical and lumbosacral degenerative diseases are proximately due to, the result of, or aggravated by his service-connected left knee disabilities.

The Board has granted service connection for aggravation of degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, and as a result, the TDIU claim is also being granted. The veteran's increased evaluation for post-operative residuals of a gunshot wound of the left chest remains pending.

The VA determined that the appellant's service-connected post-traumatic low back pain does not warrant a schedular evaluation in excess of 20 percent.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for special monthly compensation based on need for regular aid and attendance or due to being housebound.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected low back disability was granted, with a 60% evaluation effective April 3, 2002. The total rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disability was also granted as of the same date.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 due to a lack of competent medical evidence linking his chronic urinary tract infections and low back disorder to treatment he received at VA facilities from February 1973 to July 1973.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and a back disorder, finding that there was no evidence of an in-service stressor related to combat or personal assault. The claim for PTSD is denied as the veteran did not meet the diagnostic criteria for PTSD. The claim for a back disorder is also denied due to lack of competent medical evidence.

The veteran's death was not service-connected, but he would have been entitled to DIC under the provisions of 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318 due to his continuous total disability for a period of ten or more years prior to his death.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for low back disorder, hemorrhoids, fungus disorder, and respiratory disorder. The appeals were dismissed as new and material evidence was not submitted to reopen any of these claims.