Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2026

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for bilateral foot, right knee, left knee, fracture - left hip / femur, and back disorders due to insufficient evidence establishing a nexus to service.

The Board denied service connection for left middle finger, right hand (including right middle finger), left arm, and upper back disabilities due to a lack of evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's active military service.

The Veteran is granted special monthly compensation at the intermediate rate between 38 U.S.C. § 1114 subsections (n) and (o) due to multiple service-connected disabilities independently rated at 50 percent or more.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's tinnitus is service connected. The remaining claims for skin cancer, peripheral neuropathies, GERD, lung condition, liver condition, and low back condition are remanded due to lack of VA examinations or expert medical opinions.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for a low back disability, finding that there is continuity of symptomatology since service and that his lay statements regarding onset and continued symptoms are credible.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty to assist error in the initial rating assigned for the Veteran's low back disability. The claim is being returned for an addendum opinion regarding the ameliorative effects of medication on her condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current back disability, including spondylosis, degenerative arthritis, and degenerative disc disease other than intervertebral disc syndrome (back disability), is attributable to an injury sustained during her active duty service on March 12, 2014. The claim for service connection has been granted.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for back disability, sciatic left lower extremity radiculopathy, and femoral left lower extremity radiculopathy are being remanded due to a duty to assist error. The Board will obtain missing treatment records from private providers.

The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating of insomnia disorder and TDIU eligibility was granted. The claim for increased ratings for her bilateral knee conditions, thoracolumbar spine condition, and left hip condition is remanded.

The Veteran's appeal to reduce his spinal fusion lumbar spine rating from 40 percent to 10 percent has been withdrawn by the Veteran. The Board dismissed the appeal as a result.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's right hip condition, left hip condition, and back condition as secondary to his service-connected left knee condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current back disability did not begin during active service and is not related to any in-service injury or disease. The evidence does not support a finding of service connection for his low back condition.

The Veteran's claims for a higher rating for his service-connected degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine and TDIU are being remanded due to duty-to-assist errors.

The Veteran's lumbosacral strain and Parkinson's disease are related to active service. The claims for COPD, psoriasis, and congestive heart failure are remanded due to a duty-to-assist error.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for lumbar strain to include thoracolumbar and lumbosacral strain, cervical spine condition, spondylosis, degenerative disk disease, and radiculopathy (spine disabilities). The Board found that these conditions are related to the Veteran's injury during his active duty.

The Board has withdrawn the appeal for service connection for erectile dysfunction and is remanding the claims for acquired psychiatric disorder, lumbar spine disability, and gout. The Veteran's PTSD and trauma- and stressor-related disorder are granted as service-connected. Service connection for a lumbar spine disability is also granted. However, the claim for service connection for gout requires further examination due to inadequate previous VA opinion.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been granted for lumbar spine disability, peripheral vision loss, left side inguinal hernia, and right ankle osteoarthritis. The evidence received since the July 2018 rating decision is considered new and relevant to these conditions.

The Veteran's new and relevant evidence, including his statements about in-service duties causing back pain, has been considered. The claim of service connection for a low back disability with left lower extremity sciatic nerve pain is granted.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for lumbar spinal stenosis, spondylolisthesis, and radiculopathy of the left lower extremity as there is no persuasive evidence that these conditions began during or were caused by his military service.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a failure to obtain a VA examination and opinion, which is necessary to determine if the Veteran's back disability had its onset during active service or is otherwise related to service.