Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to procedural and evidentiary development needs.

The Board has received notification from the appellant that they wish to withdraw their appeal, leading to its dismissal.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claims for service connection for right knee, back, and ulnar neuropathy of the right wrist and arm disabilities secondary to a left knee disability. However, the decision on whether these conditions are service-connected remains pending.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, finding that the current disability ratings were appropriate under both the former and revised criteria.

The Board found no objective indications of chronic disability for the claimed conditions and concluded that they were not incurred or aggravated in active military service nor may they be presumed to be related to such service or symptoms of undiagnosed illness related to service in Southwest Asia.

The VA denied the veteran's claim for service connection for a lumbar spine disorder, finding that there is no evidence of current residuals from an in-service injury and no etiological relationship to his service-connected left knee condition.

The veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 20 percent for his service-connected low back disability is being remanded to the RO for additional development, including obtaining medical records and conducting a VA examination.

The Board found that there is no competent medical evidence showing that the veteran's bursitis and lumbar spine disorders or arthritis are related to service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's residuals of a gunshot wound to the right hip warrant a 50 percent evaluation, reflecting severe impairment.

The Board found that the veteran's low back disorder was incurred in service due to a pre-existing condition aggravated by his military service.

The Board found that the veteran's cervical and lumbosacral spondylosis can be linked to an injury sustained in service, resulting in a full grant of the benefit sought on appeal.

The veteran's low back disability is currently rated at 40 percent, but the Board found that it does not meet the criteria for a higher rating based on his symptoms and clinical findings.

The Board has granted the application to reopen the previously denied claim of service connection for a back disorder. The remaining claims, including those related to immune system damage, myositis, psychiatric disorders, COPD and asthma, actinic keratosis, right knee disorder, hiatal hernia, and gastroesophageal reflux disease, are remanded for further development.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for a compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss and his TDIU claim is denied as he can still secure and follow substantially gainful employment.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to potential incomplete medical records and for appropriate examinations.

The veteran is seeking an earlier effective date for the grant of a total disability evaluation based on individual unemployability due to his service-connected low back disability. The RO must obtain and consider VA treatment records from Tuscaloosa VAMC between June 1998 and June 1999, ensure all notification and development actions required by the VCAA are fully complied with, and readjudicate the issue.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed, including scheduling a VA examination and obtaining all outstanding medical records. The veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected chronic lumbosacral strain will be remanded to the RO.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the veteran's claim of service connection for a back disability, and thus the claim is reopened. Further development is required as the claim must be remanded to the RO.

The Board found that the veteran's service-connected lumbar strain with left piriformis group strain is productive of no more than severe impairment, which is contemplated by his current 40 percent rating. Therefore, the claim for a higher rating was denied.

The Board has found new and material evidence to reopen the claim for service connection for a back disability, which was previously denied in 1999. The claim will now be reviewed on its merits.