Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2026

The Veteran's PTSD, sleep apnea, hypertension, right MCA stroke with left-sided hemiplegia and major neurocognitive impairment, headaches, left ankle sprain, cervical sprain, and lumbar disc disease are all granted as secondary to service-connected conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for a lower back condition and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected postoperative residuals of left fibula.

The Veteran's lumbar spine degenerative arthritis and degenerative disc disease are currently rated at 40 percent, which is the maximum rating available under the General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine. The Veteran's RLE sciatic radiculopathy has been dismissed due to untimely filing.

The Board has determined that there is a need for additional medical examination and opinion to address the Veteran's claim of service connection for a back disability, including DDD of the lumbar spine. The current VA opinions are deemed inadequate due to their failure to consider the Veteran's lay reports of in-service injury and continuous symptomatology since service.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to inadequate examinations and the need for a retrospective opinion regarding the severity of his service-connected lumbar spine disability.

The Veteran's claim for SMC(o) was denied as he could not receive multiple awards of SMC(l). The right shoulder bicipital tendonitis rating was denied, and the TDIU claim was granted.

The Board has found that the reductions of ratings for back and right knee disabilities were improper due to inadequate examinations. The claims are remanded for further evaluations.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for a Total Disability Rating Based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU) prior to January 1, 2021, on an extraschedular basis. The decision also denied entitlement to Special Monthly Compensation based on housebound criteria prior to January 1, 2021.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for low back and upper back disorders require further examination to determine their etiology.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence and need for further examination. The issues include left shoulder, right shoulder, low back, and skin condition (including skin cancer) disabilities.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to inadequate medical opinions and a procedural error in failing to consider new evidence.,The AOJ will obtain addendum medical opinions on the nature and etiology of the Veteran's back disability, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, type II, and CAD with history of STEMI.

The Board dismissed the appeals for earlier effective dates and service connection for left lower extremity radiculopathy (sciatic), left upper extremity radiculopathy, right upper extremity radiculopathy, and cervical degenerative disc disease and arthritis, spinal stenosis, herniated C7-T1, intervertebral disc syndrome, status post spinal fusion.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date and higher initial rating for his back disability is denied. The effective date remains March 29, 2021, as the earliest date of claim. An initial rating in excess of 20 percent for the back disability from March 29, 2021, is also denied.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a deficiency in the April 2024 VA medical examination, specifically regarding passive range of motion testing for pain.

This appeal is dismissed as the November 2020 rating decision implementing a Board's August 2019 decision to restore an improper reduction in the Veteran's back disability rating from 40% to 20% is considered a ministerial implementation and not subject to further review by the Board.

The Board has remanded the claim of service connection for lumbar spine degenerative arthritis as secondary to bilateral pes planus due to inadequate medical opinions and lack of contemporaneous medical records.

The Veteran's appeal of proposed reductions in ratings for his service-connected back disability and right sciatic nerve radiculopathy is dismissed. The claim of entitlement to an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for left sciatic nerve radiculopathy is remanded.

The Board has determined that there are pre-decisional duty to assist errors in the October 2024 and April 2025 rating decisions, specifically regarding the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, pes planus, right knee disability, lower back strain (lumbosacral strain), and degenerative arthritis (osteoarthritis) in foot, right. The Board has therefore remanded these issues to correct these errors.

The Board has denied service connection for a back disability, finding that the evidence does not support a link between the Veteran's current condition and his military service. The appeal regarding effective dates for TDIU and SMC is also denied.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for PTSD and a low back condition were dismissed because he did not file timely notices of disagreement within one year of the August 2016 rating decision.