Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Board denied the veteran's claims for compensation benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 due to lack of well-groundedness, and also denied her service connection claim.

The veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection for lumbosacral degenerative joint disease was denied as there is no evidence of a well-grounded claim prior to March 1997.

The Board found that a low back disability was not incurred in or aggravated by active service.

The veteran's claim for an increased evaluation for recurrent low back pain, status post L3-4 hemilaminectomy is being remanded due to the need for additional development of his medical records and a VA examination.

The VA denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his shell fragment wound of the right lumbar region and residuals of a wound to the right buttock, as these conditions do not warrant higher disability evaluations.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and a lumbar spine disorder, as well as his claim for an increased evaluation for infectious hepatitis. The decision also dismissed his original evaluations for tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, and residuals of a skin rash.

The Board granted a 60% rating for postoperative residuals of degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, L3-4, L4-5, L5-S1 with radiculopathy and a separate 10% rating for degenerative arthritis. The veteran's service-connected midline surgical scar over the lumbar spine was rated as noncompensable.

The veteran's cancer reoccurred on April 21, 1999 and the effective date for his increased evaluation cannot be earlier than that date.

The veteran's claim for service connection was received within one year of his discharge from active service, and the Board has determined that he is entitled to an effective date of November 1, 1998.

The Board has remanded the case to the RO for further development and readjudication, including consideration of specific provisions related to vocational rehabilitation training.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings, as well as other issues.

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

The Board found no etiological relationship between the veteran's cervical spine disorder and her service-connected low back disorder. The low back disability is currently rated at 40 percent.

The veteran's claims for increased evaluations were denied due to her failure to appear for VA examinations without good cause.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including re-evaluating the veteran's service-connected left knee disability and considering whether the manifestations of this disability warrant evaluation under separate diagnostic codes. The current claim for service connection for a back disability as incurred during active military service is also being considered.

The Board has remanded the case to the RO for obtaining Social Security Administration records related to the veteran's disability benefits, as these records may contain relevant medical information.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim for secondary service connection for a low back disability. However, the RO needs to make a determination on this issue following the reopening of the claim.

The veteran's service-connected degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine renders him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation, warranting a total disability rating based on individual unemployability.

The veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of unauthorized medical expenses incurred at the Halifax Medical Center on July 24, 2000 was denied because his treatment was non-emergent. The Board has ordered additional development due to new evidence received after the initial decision.

The Board has determined that the appellant's low back disorder is related to his active duty for training, and service connection is granted.