Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

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

The veteran's claim for payment of medical services due to a supraventricular tachycardiac event on October 25, 1998 is granted. The Board finds that the emergency room physician's opinion regarding the existence of a medical emergency outweighs the VA reviewing physician's retrospective determination.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have left carpal tunnel syndrome and denied service connection for this condition. The issues of low back disability, left heel disability, and right carpal tunnel syndrome are still pending.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection of a left shoulder disability and back condition, as well as evaluations for hearing loss, hemorrhoids, left ankle inversion residuals, and bilateral mandibular fracture residuals. The Board found that there was no evidence linking current disabilities to service.

The veteran is seeking service connection for PTSD and a back disability. The VA has remanded the case due to new laws requiring additional development of evidence.

The Board has granted a 40 percent rating for the veteran's low back disorder, effective from March 2000. The ratings for left and right knee disorders remain at 10 percent each.

The Board has granted the veteran's claims for service connection and assigned initial ratings for her lumbosacral strain, left foot plantar fasciitis, and left middle finger tendonitis. The initial rating of 10 percent for lumbosacral strain was increased to 20 percent effective from March 20, 1997.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a right leg disability, seizure disorder, and back disorder as not well grounded.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the claims for service connection for tinnitus, hearing loss, and a back disability. However, there is no competent medical evidence etiologically linking these conditions to military service or any inservice injury. The claim of PTSD was not supported by sufficient evidence in this decision.

The Board has determined that the veteran's chronic low back pain, bilateral hip pain, and right knee pain are not service-connected as manifestations of an undiagnosed illness due to his active duty in the Southwest Asia theater during the Persian Gulf War. The preponderance of evidence shows these conditions have been attributed to known clinical diagnoses.

The Board has granted service connection for a right knee condition and increased the ratings for traumatic arthritis of left ankle, history of old injury, and chronic lumbar syndrome, degenerative disc disease. The effective dates for these grants are July 15, 1998.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his lumbar strain with thoracic spurring and residuals of a shell fragment wound of the left forearm, finding that the evidence did not support a rating in excess of 20 percent for the latter condition.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased evaluations and service connection, finding no evidence to support his assertions of secondary right knee disability or other service-connected conditions. The veteran was also not granted a total rating based on individual unemployability due to his non-service-connected Down syndrome.

The Board has determined that the veteran's PTSD was incurred during his active service, and thus grants service connection for this condition. The issues of back condition with radiculopathy and bilateral knee condition are remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim of service connection for a low back disability due to new and material evidence. The case is now remanded for further development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling an examination.

The Board found no evidence linking the veteran's claimed neck and back disorders to service, thus denying his claims for service connection.

The Board has determined that the veteran's fibromyalgia does not warrant a rating in excess of 40 percent, and his degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine did not meet criteria for a compensable rating from August 1, 1991 to July 15, 1994. Effective July 15, 1994, the veteran's degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine does not warrant a disability rating in excess of 40 percent.

The veteran seeks reimbursement for unauthorized medical expenses incurred at Yuma Regional Medical Center from November 11, 1998 to November 14, 1998. The Board has determined that further development is needed due to incomplete records and the need for a medical opinion.

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

The veteran is seeking an increased evaluation for his degenerative disc disease at L3-4, L4-5 and L5-S1 with lumbosacral strain. The RO has remanded the case to obtain additional evidence and consider whether separate disability ratings are warranted.