Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected dorsolumbar paravertebral myositis, with posterior disc bulge at L4-5, warrants a disability rating of 20 percent.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for left knee pain, lumbar arthralgia (back pain), and plantar wart are not well-grounded. The evidence does not support a finding of current disabilities or a link to service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's right knee disability does not warrant a higher rating, and his back condition is currently rated appropriately.

The Board has denied the appellant's claims for increased ratings for his compression fracture at T12 and medial meniscal tear with entrapment and chronic anterior cruciate rupture of the right knee, finding that the evidence does not support higher evaluations under applicable rating criteria.

The Board denied the claim for service connection for a low back condition as there was no medical evidence showing a current disability, and the appellant failed to provide sufficient evidence of a link between his military service and the claimed condition.

The Board has determined that the appellant did not file an adequate substantive appeal regarding his claims for service connection and nonservice-connected pension purposes. As a result, these issues are dismissed.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to incomplete medical records and to consider additional functional loss caused by pain in rating the veteran's service-connected disabilities.

The veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his service-connected postoperative right and left ankle disorders, as well as his chronic low back disorder, have been granted. The effective date is not specified.

The Board denied the appellant's claims for service connection for back disability, respiratory disability, and residuals of sunburn due to lack of a well-grounded claim for back disability and because the substantive appeals were untimely filed.

The Board denied service connection for a right hip disorder and a low back disorder, finding that the veteran's current conditions did not have origins during active service.

The VA denied an increased rating for the veteran's low back injury with fractures and laminectomy, currently rated at 30 percent.

The Board has determined that the veteran's scoliosis of the lumbar and thoracic spine was incurred during active service, and her claim for cervical disc disease with osteophytes is well grounded. Service connection is granted for both conditions.

The veteran's disabilities, including his psychiatric disorder and COPD, are rated at the minimum levels allowed by law. The RO found that his alcohol abuse was due to willful misconduct and thus not compensable.

The Board denied the veteran's claim of service connection for his low back disability, finding no competent medical evidence demonstrating a nexus between his current condition and his period of active military service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection of low back disability and bilateral knee disabilities, as well as his request for a higher rating for post-traumatic stress disorder. The claim for secondary service connection for low back disability was not well grounded due to lack of evidence linking it to the service-connected left ankle sprain. The claim for reopening of the bilateral knee disabilities was granted based on new and material evidence. However, the veteran's bilateral knee disabilities were found not to be proximately due to or the result of his service-connected left ankle disability.

The Board has determined that the veteran's right knee disability does not warrant a higher rating, and his back condition is currently rated appropriately.

The veteran's lumbosacral strain with periarthritis is manifested by inclined posture, limited motion, and evidence of osteophytes. The Board has granted a 40 percent evaluation for this condition.

The Board has granted the veteran's claim for service connection for a stomach disorder and assigned a separate rating of 20% for his degenerative disc and joint disease involving the lumbosacral spine. The increased evaluation for residuals of a gunshot wound of the lumbar region, Muscle Group XX, is also granted.

The Board has found new and material evidence for reopening the claims of defective hearing on a direct basis, but not for secondary service connection or low back disorder. The veteran's claim is well-grounded for defective hearing on a direct basis.

The Board denied service connection for hearing loss and increased evaluations for post-traumatic stress disorder. The veteran's preexisting hearing loss was not aggravated during military service, and the evaluations in excess of 10 percent for post-traumatic stress disorder were denied as there was no increase in severity.