Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Board has determined that the veteran's back disability is service-connected, and his bilateral knee disability was not incurred in or aggravated by active duty service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings for various conditions, including bronchitis, bilateral knee condition, bilateral leg pain, concussion, right shoulder dislocation, degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine at L5-S1, and bilateral hearing loss.

The Board denied the veteran's claim to reopen his service connection for a back disability, finding that no new and material evidence had been presented.

The Board has determined that additional development is required to clarify the veteran's asthma and lower back disability, including whether these conditions pre-existed service or were aggravated by military service.

The veteran's service-connected low back disability, which was previously rated at 20 percent, has been increased to a 40 percent rating effective from the date of his last prior evaluation.

The VA determined that the appellant's lumbosacral strain is mildly symptomatic and does not warrant an evaluation in excess of 20 percent.

The Board has determined that the veteran's years of service, including his time as a navigator and flight engineer aboard a B-52 aircraft, may be related to his current low back disability. However, there is no direct evidence linking his service to this condition.

The Board has reopened the appellant's claim for service connection for a back disorder, but denied it on the merits. The new evidence submitted by Dr. Ingram supports the appellant's claim that his current back condition may be linked to active duty for training, but the VA examiner concluded that the condition is more likely related to a pre-service injury.

The veteran's service-connected orthopedic disease of the lumbar spine is currently rated at 40 percent, and his cervical and thoracic spine disabilities are each rated at 30 and 10 percent respectively. The RO has granted a TDIU based on these conditions.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been submitted to reopen the veteran's claim of service connection for a low back disability, resulting in a denial.

The RO granted service connection for a back disorder including degenerative joint disease and degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine on a direct basis or as secondary to service-connected residuals of shell fragment wounds of the pleural cavity, but denied an increased evaluation for residuals of a shell fragment wound of the left forearm with nerve involvement.

The Board found that the appellant's claim for an earlier effective date for TDIU was not supported by evidence of record, as there were no claims filed within one year prior to January 27, 1992. The RO denied service connection for cervical and lumbar radiculopathy in April 1973.

The veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, left shoulder disorder, and low back disorder were denied. The claim for an increased disability rating for degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine was also denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's lumbosacral strain disability warrants an increased rating to 20 percent, effective April 27, 2000. The cervical spine disability is not service connected.

The veteran's back disability is rated at 10% under the VA Rating Schedule, but his other disabilities prevent him from obtaining or following substantially gainful employment. The Board finds that these factors do not meet the criteria for a permanent and total disability rating for pension purposes.

The Board denied service connection for back and left knee disorders, as well as an increased evaluation for shell fragment wounds of the head. The decision was based on the lack of evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Board denied the reopening of a claim for service connection for residuals of a low back injury, but left the issue of amputation of the right little finger pending.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for a back disorder, hypertension as secondary to PTSD, and heart disease as secondary to PTSD. The evidence did not support these claims.

The Board granted a disability rating of 40 percent for lumbosacral myositis, effective from April 23, 1997. The veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss and hair loss as due to an undiagnosed illness were denied, while the claim for service connection for chest pain as due to an undiagnosed illness was granted.

The Board dismissed the appellant's claims because he did not file a proper substantive appeal, which is required to perfect an appeal.