Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2026

The Veteran's appeals for initial compensable evaluations for right knee scars and residuals of right knee injury post-operative arthroscopy, extension have been dismissed. The appeal for an increased rating for PTSD has also been dismissed.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for a compensable rating for heart disability and hypertension due to withdrawal by the Veteran. The claims of service connection for low back and neck disabilities are remanded.

The Veteran was granted a TDIU for the period from January 1, 2020 to September 30, 2023 due to service-connected disabilities preventing him from maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is being remanded due to errors in the pre-decisional file, including a lack of earnings statements from SSA and missing vocational rehabilitation records. The AOJ will need to correct these issues before making a final determination.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD is found to cause his headaches, and the Veteran's allergic rhinitis is granted a non-compensable rating. The Veteran's intervertebral disc syndrome remains at a 10 percent rating, but the issue of an increased disability rating for this condition is remanded. Service connection for sleep apnea is also remanded.

The appeal of a proposed reduction from 40 percent to 20 percent for degenerative arthritis lumbar spine with spinal stenosis and spinal fusion is dismissed. The case is also remanded for the determination of whether a temporary total rating (TTR) based on need for convalescence following February 4, 2020, lumbar spine surgery is warranted.

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral ankle, foot, hip, and lumbar spine disabilities due to a lack of evidence showing current diagnoses or a causal relationship with service. The claims of entitlement to service connection for inguinal hernia, hypertension, tinea pedis, and allergic rhinitis are remanded as the VA medical opinions provided were inadequate.

The Board denied service connection for a left shoulder disorder and a low back disorder, finding that the evidence did not support a causal relationship between these conditions and service.

The Veteran's service connection claims for hypertension, left elbow pain, lumbar spine disorder, OSA, right knee disorder, left knee disorder, and UTI have been reopened due to the submission of new and relevant evidence. The claims are now pending for further adjudication.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for lumbosacral strain is remanded due to a discrepancy in the address provided by the Veteran and the evidence of record. The correct current address must be identified, and the Veteran should be given an opportunity to attend a VA examination.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection on all four issues due to the RO's deferred decisions not constituting final adjudicative determinations.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for back, left hip, right knee, and left knee disabilities due to procedural errors and the need for additional medical examinations.

The Veteran meets the schedular requirement for TDIU due to his service-connected disabilities, and his service-connected conditions rendered him unable to follow a substantially gainful occupation. The effective date is from February 10, 2019, to May 6, 2020.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) and chronic lumbar pain as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities. The VA is required to obtain medical opinions regarding whether BPPV is due to or aggravated by tinnitus, any individual toxic exposure risk activity, or his right ankle disability.

The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate opinion regarding the Veteran's back disability, which may be related to service. The claim will be reconsidered with a new examination and appropriate medical opinions.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to outstanding medical records for his service-connected conditions and new claims.

The Veteran's low back disability is granted as secondary to his service-connected left ankle disability.,The Veteran's respiratory disability (asthma, COPD, chronic bronchitis) is granted based on exposure during active service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection of a back disability is remanded due to duty to assist errors prior to the September 2024 rating decision. The Board finds insufficient evidence to adjudicate the claim and requires a VA examination.

The Board has granted service connection for cervical spine disability and lumbar spine disability, finding that the Veteran's conditions had their onset in service and are related to her military service.

The Veteran's ratings for DDD/DJD of the thoracolumbar spine and left lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy were reduced from their initial assigned levels, but these reductions are now void ab initio due to procedural errors. The appeals for restoration of the original ratings are granted.