Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2026

The Veteran's dizziness is granted as due to an undiagnosed illness, while his left ankle condition and skin condition are denied.

The Veteran's service-connected degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine, lumbar disc disease, bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, bilateral knee strains, residuals of a left ankle concussion, and bilateral pes cavus are found to be related to his obstructive sleep apnea. His claim for restoration of a 30 percent evaluation for degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine is granted.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection of a low back strain has been withdrawn, resulting in the dismissal of this issue.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has denied service connection for neck and back disabilities, but has remanded the claim of entitlement to a compensable rating for right radial styloid fracture.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for a lumbar spine disability, claimed as herniated disk, was dismissed because the issue had already been granted in a previous rating decision and the Veteran elected to appeal this grant rather than seek further review.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for eczema, an acquired psychiatric condition (to include PTSD), and lumbosacral strain (claimed as low back pain/injury) due to insufficient evidence.

The Veteran's tinnitus, migraines, left hip osteoarthritis, right hip osteoarthritis, lumbar spondylosis with sacroiliac dysfunction (a lower back disability), left lower extremity radiculopathy, and right lower extremity radiculopathy are all granted as service connected.,The Veteran's tinnitus, migraines, left hip osteoarthritis, right hip osteoarthritis, lumbar spondylosis with sacroiliac dysfunction (a lower back disability), left lower extremity radiculopathy, and right lower extremity radiculopathy are all granted as service connected.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been dismissed due to their death.

The Veteran's psoriasis has been granted a 60 percent rating. The evaluations for his left foot and right foot degenerative joint disease with calcaneal spur, as well as his thoracic spine degenerative disc disease, are being remanded.

The appeal is remanded due to an incomplete fee decision regarding past-due benefits awarded in the November 2024 rating decision for fibromyalgia and back disability. The amount of retroactive benefits needs to be clarified.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, but has remanded the issue of service connection for a low back disability due to insufficient evidence.

The Veteran's erectile dysfunction is likely due to his service-connected lumbar spine and radiculopathy conditions, with tramadol use possibly causing the condition by October 25, 2012. The effective date for ED will be remanded.,Due to the inextricably intertwined nature of the issues, including the need to determine if tramadol caused ED prior to August 30, 2013, the SMC issue is also remanded.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate examination and failure to consider flare-ups in the April 2021 VA examination. The Veteran is to be scheduled for a new VA examination to assess his lumbar spine disability.

The Veteran's cervical spine disability, including right and left upper extremity radiculopathies, is granted as service connected. The issues of right and left upper extremity radiculopathy are remanded for further examination.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including a left wrist fracture, bilateral hearing loss, Type II diabetes, bilateral glaucoma, OSA, cervical disc herniation, and other musculoskeletal issues are denied.,Service connection is not established for any of the claimed conditions.

The Veteran's lumbosacral strain with IVDS and associated radiculopathies of the left and right lower extremities are granted at a 40 percent rating prior to December 27, 2023, and denied for ratings in excess of this level from that date.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for lumbar and cervical spine disabilities due to errors in development of the claim. The Veteran's current spinal conditions include degenerative arthritis, disc disease, spinal fusion, stenosis, spondylolisthesis, and scoliosis.

The Board denied service connection for a back disability and headache disability.,There is no evidence of a current disability, and the Veteran's reported in-service injuries are not supported by medical records.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for his lumbar spine and right hip disabilities due to a duty to assist error. The effective date for DEA benefits is granted as May 1, 2014.