Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2026

The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating and service connection was denied. The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is not characterized by ankylosis, and there is no evidence of bilateral radiculopathy.

The Veteran withdrew their appeals for service connection for depressive order, headache condition, and back condition. The appeal is dismissed.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for a bilateral knee condition, IBS, bilateral plantar fasciitis, and lower back condition. The evidence does not support current diagnoses or a link between these conditions and active duty.

The Veteran's appeal for an initial compensable disability rating for cervical spine disability has been withdrawn and is dismissed.

The Veteran's appeal seeking an earlier effective date for service connection due to CUE in a 1996 rating decision is dismissed as the April 1998 Board decision subsumed the June 1996 RO decision.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for gastrointestinal, lumbar spine, and cervical spine disabilities due to pre-decisional duty-to-assist errors.

The Board has remanded the claims for diabetes mellitus type II, neck disability, back disability, left hip disability, and right hip disability due to duty-to-assist errors identified during a Higher-Level Review (HLR). The Veteran is seeking service connection under the PACT Act for toxic exposures in service.

The Veteran's PTSD is granted as service-connected, and the Board finds that his back disability may be related to service. The case is remanded for a VA examination.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinions and missing SSA records. The Veteran's cervical spondylosis, degenerative disc disease, and cervical stenosis are being reviewed for service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for a lumbar spine disability and remanded the right shoulder disability claim due to a scheduling error.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings and individual unemployability are remanded due to the failure to appear at scheduled examinations. The TDIU issue is also remanded as it may impact the analysis of whether the Veteran is entitled to a TDIU.

The Board has decided to remand the claim of service connection for a back condition, including as secondary to his service-connected right hip disability. The Veteran's current back condition is less likely than not proximately due to or the result of his service-connected right hip disability. An addendum medical opinion is needed to determine if the Veteran's back condition is aggravated by his service-connected right hip disability.

The Veteran's claim for a right foot condition has been dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his appeal.,The Veteran's claims for lower back and right upper quadricep strain have been remanded due to insufficient medical opinions.

The Veteran's lumbosacral strain was restored to a 40 percent rating, and he received separate ratings for his right lower extremity radiculopathy. The higher ratings were denied.

The Board dismissed the appeals for left knee arthritis, right knee arthritis, and low back pain as the Veteran's authorized representative requested withdrawal of the appeal.

The Veteran's lumbar and cervical spine conditions are granted as service-connected due to an in-service motorcycle accident.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date of March 26, 2018, for arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine with IVDS and associated right lower extremity radiculopathy has been granted. The rating assigned is 40 percent.

The Veteran's claims for service connection of right knee disability, left knee disability, and low back disability have all been denied. The Board found no current or past medical evidence supporting the presence of these conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have not prevented him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation, as evidenced by his part-time employment during the appeals period.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, particularly his back disability and PTSD, have rendered him unable to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment.