Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Board found that the veteran's current low back disability is not related to his active military service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to the need for further VA assistance in obtaining medical records and conducting a VA examination.

The Board has determined that the veteran's low back disorder was aggravated by service, and thus granted service connection for this condition.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have current disabilities of prostatitis, dehydration, contusion to anal area, or lower back disability related to service. Therefore, his claims for these conditions are denied.

The veteran's claim for service connection for a back disorder was denied. The issue of new and material evidence for cervical osteoarthritis and left shoulder disorder was granted, but the veteran's request for a compensable evaluation for his left wrist ganglion cyst was denied.,The veteran has not provided sufficient evidence to establish that his current conditions are related to service.

The veteran's claim for increased evaluations for his lower back disability and hearing loss of the left ear was denied. The effective date for the grant of service connection for hearing loss of the left ear is October 26, 1988.

The Board denied service connection for a lung disorder and low back disorder, as well as an increase in the rating for left knee disorder. The veteran's current lung disorder is considered to have begun during his active duty. However, the low back disorder was not caused by or aggravated by his service-connected left knee disorder.

The Board has granted service connection for DJD of the cervical spine, lumbosacral spine, right knee, left knee, and recurrent pulmonary emboli as secondary to service-connected melioidosis.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from engaging in substantially gainful employment, and thus a total disability rating based on individual unemployability is denied.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to ensure compliance with the Veterans Claims Assistance Act of 2000 and proper consideration of both former and revised criteria for rating spine disabilities.

The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of records from a VA doctor who treated the veteran for his back disability. The RO is instructed to obtain these records and re-adjudicate the issue.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for restoration of a higher evaluation for his right knee and service connection for left knee and low back disorders, finding that there was no evidence of current disabilities or a relationship to service.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for a lumbar spine disorder, finding no competent medical evidence linking his current condition to service or a service-connected disability.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for an effective date prior to September 27, 2001 for a total rating due to unemployability caused by service-connected disabilities and whether the representative's communication constituted a valid Notice of Disagreement. The veteran was granted a TR with an effective date of September 27, 2001.

The Board has denied service connection for a back disorder and remanded the issue of entitlement to an initial rating greater than 10 percent for bilateral tinnitus. The claim of service connection for PTSD is also remanded due to inadequate attempts at stressor verification.

The Board found that the appellant's back disability existed prior to service and was not aggravated by service, thus denying his claim for service connection.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination to assess the current severity of the service-connected conditions. The veteran's claims will be readjudicated based on the new evidence and regulations.

The RO denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including PTSD, a low disability (likely referring to low back disability), hearing loss, lung disease (including asthma), urethral stricture, migraine headaches, arthritis of the left shoulder, bilateral knee disorder, and sinusitis. The denial is final as it was made in August 2001.

The veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not establish a current disability or link to service, respectively. Service connection was also denied for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine as there was no evidence of aggravation of a pre-existing condition.

The Board has found that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen claims for service connection for degenerative changes of the lumbar spine (low back pain) and right ear hearing loss. The merits of these claims are not addressed in this decision.