Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The veteran's service-connected low back disability was rated at 40 percent prior to April 3, 1997 and increased to 60 percent effective April 4, 1997. The hiatal hernia is currently rated at 10 percent.,The veteran contends that her service-connected low back disability warrants a higher rating.

The veteran's lipomas in the chest, abdomen, back, right arm, and left arm have been granted a 10% rating each. The veteran also received a 20% rating for residuals of a gunshot wound to the left buttock (Muscle Group XVII) and a 20% rating for residuals of a gunshot wound to the low back (Muscle Group XX). No compensable rating was granted for multiple laparotomies of the abdomen. The veteran's right shoulder arthritis has been granted a 10% rating.

The Board found that the veteran's claim for service connection for a chronic acquired low back disorder was not well-grounded, as there was no credible evidence showing a link between his current condition and his military service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection are well-grounded and have been granted. The conditions of sinusitis, left knee disorder, residuals of costochondritis (claimed as thoracic/low back pain), headaches, chest pain, fatigue, and memory loss are all considered to be related to his military service.

The veteran is entitled to vocational rehabilitation training due to her service-connected disabilities and employment handicap.

The veteran's claim for an increased disability rating for chronic lumbar disc disease is being remanded due to the need for additional medical records and examination.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for the cause of his death and entitlement to DIC under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318 due to a lack of well-grounded evidence.

The veteran's service-connected lumbosacral sprain with limitation of motion was granted a 40 percent evaluation effective September 11, 2000. The RO also referred the issue of unemployability to the RO for appropriate action.

The Board has granted an effective date of August 1, 1944 for the grant of service connection for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine. The issue of entitlement to a total rating on the basis of individual unemployability due to service-connected disability (TDIU) is remanded.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection for headaches, low back disability, residuals of a head injury, residuals of a neck injury, and visual disability are not well grounded.

The veteran's lumbar disc syndrome with post-operative residuals is currently rated at 60 percent, which is the maximum evaluation provided for under applicable schedular criteria. The veteran's PTSD claim will be remanded to obtain SSA records.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for scheduling a travel board hearing in New Orleans, Louisiana.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claim for service connection for a right wrist scar is well grounded. The VA duty to assist the veteran includes obtaining all relevant records, including reports of his recent treatment at the VA medical facility in Albany, New York.

The Board has granted increased disability evaluations for the veteran's service-connected low back disorder and furunculosis (abscess), hidradenitis suppurative, and cystic acne. The total disability rating on the basis of individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities was denied.

The Board denied an increased rating for lumbosacral strain, finding no current symptoms attributable to the service-connected condition and noting the presence of new diagnoses unrelated to the veteran's service connection.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a back disorder and bilateral leg disorders, as well as his claim for an increased rating for idiopathic seizures with depressive features. The evidence does not support a finding of service connection for these conditions.

The Board found that the veteran's claim for service connection for a back disability, including as secondary to his service-connected leg disabilities, is not well grounded. The evidence did not establish a relationship between the veteran's current back disability and active service or his service-connected leg disabilities.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a cervical spine disorder and increased ratings for his low back disorder. The Board found insufficient evidence to establish service connection for the cervical spine disorder, and concluded that an evaluation higher than 20 percent was not warranted for the low back disorder prior to November 18, 1998, but did grant a 40 percent rating effective from November 18, 1998.

The Board has granted a 40% rating for lumbosacral strain, the maximum available under VA regulations.

The VA did not authorize the treatment at St. Luke's Meridian Medical Center, and there is no evidence that such authorization was provided by a VA employee or through any formal contract. The veteran received care for symptoms unrelated to his service-connected lumbar spine disorder.