Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2026

The Board has dismissed the claims for service connection due to lack of active-duty service and because the appellant did not achieve veteran status. The psychiatric condition claim was withdrawn, and the spinal injury claim is denied.

The Veteran's asthma and right ankle disability claims are remanded due to the need for additional medical evidence.,The Veteran's COPD claim is remanded as there are insufficient VA treatment records available at this time.,The Veteran's right shoulder, low back, right knee, and left knee disabilities are all remanded due to incomplete or inadequate examination reports.,Service connection for the Veteran's right shoulder disability is remanded because no relevant medical evidence was obtained from her primary care physician.,The Veteran's low back and right ankle disability claims are remanded as there were insufficient VA examinations conducted.,The Veteran's right knee and left knee disabilities are remanded due to incomplete or inadequate examination reports.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection of various conditions due to the appellant's withdrawal of these claims.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection for GERD, higher ratings for lumbar spine and right wrist disabilities, and ED. The Veteran's ED is found to be caused by his service-connected hypertension.

The Veteran's tinnitus was granted service connection, while the low back condition issue is being remanded for further review.

The Veteran's residuals of stab wound are granted as service connection is established due to the current disability and in-service injury. The back condition claim is denied as there is no causal relationship between active service and the current diagnosis.,Service connection for a back condition is denied because the evidence does not establish an in-service event, disease or injury that caused the Veteran's current degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine.

The Veteran's low back disability and psychiatric disability have been granted service connection with effective dates of November 30, 2010.,Service connection for a psychiatric disability was also granted with an effective date of November 27, 2012.

The Board has determined that the VA examiner's opinion regarding the cause of the Veteran's obesity and its impact on his OSA is insufficient. The claim must be remanded to obtain an addendum opinion from another appropriate examiner.

The Veteran is granted SMC at the enhanced R-1 rate due to his need for regular assistance with activities of daily living and a total disability rating, including service-connected conditions such as Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and PTSD.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for low back strain and cervical strain have been granted with effective dates of July 11, 2020. The Board finds that the Veteran should be granted an earlier effective date due to a time limit extension request submitted within the allowed timeframe.

PTSD and other specified trauma- and stressor-related disorder have been granted, but the lower/mid back condition, right shoulder condition, and left shoulder condition remain denied.,The Board has remanded cases for further development regarding right shoulder condition and left shoulder condition.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is caused by his service-connected bilateral knee disabilities.,The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability had its onset during active duty service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities render her unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation, thus granting TDIU.

The Board dismissed the appeal due to the appellant's withdrawal of all appeals.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for bilateral lower extremities neuropathy, lumbosacral strain, bilateral hip strain, and left knee strain due to a duty to assist error. VA medical opinions are needed to determine if these conditions are related to the Veteran's military service.

The Board has decided to remand the issue of service connection for lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis due to inadequate opinion regarding whether a pre-existing low back disability existed prior to service and was aggravated by service.

The Board has denied service connection for various conditions, including hearing loss of the left ear, sleep apnea, and respiratory insufficiency (dyspnea), among others. The Veteran's claims were not supported by sufficient evidence to establish a link between these conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's service connection claim for hypertension was granted. The claims for bilateral pes planus, bilateral plantar fasciitis, left foot callus, right shin splint, left shin splint, right hip strain, and left hip strain were all denied as they are not considered to be aggravated by or caused by the service-connected conditions.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings and earlier effective dates was denied.,An increased rating of 60 percent, but no higher, for right lower extremity radiculopathy involving the sciatic nerve is granted.

The Veteran's non-fused transverse process of L1 on right side; degenerative arthritis, degenerative disc disease, intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS), thoracolumbar spondylosis and lumbar scoliosis is granted. The left leg peripheral neuropathy as secondary to the spinal disability is also granted. An increased rating of 30 percent for the service-connected left ankle arthritis status post fracture, medial malleolus is granted.