Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 40 percent for his service-connected lumbosacral strain with degenerative disc disease is being remanded due to the need for additional development and evidence.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, a back disability, and a left leg disability. The decision found no medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board is remanding the case for additional development, including obtaining pertinent evidence and providing notice under the Veterans Claims Assistance Act of 2000.

The Board has determined that the current evaluations for the appellant's low back disability and bilateral shoulder disabilities are not in excess of what is warranted under the applicable rating criteria.

The Board has granted an effective date of March 17, 1999 for a Total Disability Evaluation for Compensation Purposes Based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU). The veteran's claim was pending since July 12, 1998 and the RO initially granted TDIU retroactively to that date.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and arranging for a VA examination.

The veteran is seeking additional vocational rehabilitation training for a degree in physical therapy due to worsening service-connected disabilities. The Board has determined that further development, including medical examinations and opinions, is needed before the case can be fully adjudicated.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining treatment records and possibly scheduling a VA examination. The veteran's claims for higher ratings for his cervical spine, lumbar spine, and right shoulder disabilities are pending.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for a back disability, finding no evidence of continuity of symptomatology from his discharge and no medical evidence relating his current condition to his active military service.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim of service connection for a back disorder due to new and material evidence submitted since the last denial. The claim is now pending on its merits.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a ruptured disc of the lumbar spine and increased ratings for right and left ankle sprain with laxity. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred in or aggravated by military service.

The veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for a 20% disability rating for lumbosacral strain was denied as the most generous effective date provided is November 8, 2001, which is when his formal claim was received.

The veteran's disabilities do not meet the criteria for a permanent and total disability rating for VA pension purposes, as they are not severe enough to prevent him from maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a back disability and an increased rating for bursitis of the right trochanteric, finding that new and material evidence had not been submitted to reopen these claims.

The Board has granted service connection for a defect of the insertion of the left pectoralis major muscle, which is considered a direct result of an injury sustained in service. The claim for low back pain remains pending and will be remanded to the RO for further action.

The veteran's claim for a compensable rating for mechanical low back pain is being remanded due to the need for VCAA compliance and updated examination under new rating criteria.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current back disorder, diagnosed as lumbosacral strain and degenerative disc disease at L4-5 and L5-S1, was incurred in service. The benefit of doubt is given to the veteran.

The veteran's claims for increased rating and TDIU are being remanded to the RO for further development, including consideration of changes in VA rating criteria.

The Board has remanded the claims for higher ratings for postoperative nasal polyposis and lumbosacral spine arthritis to allow for additional development, including obtaining medical opinions regarding the relationship of these disabilities to service.

The Board denied service connection for residuals of a right ankle sprain, left ankle disability, plantar fasciitis, hemorrhoids, and gastrointestinal disorder. The veteran's claims were not supported by evidence showing chronic disabilities in service or continuity of symptoms since service.,Service connection was also denied for hypertension as there was no diagnosis of the condition during service or at any point after service.