Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2026

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of a low back disability, finding that there was no credible evidence to support the occurrence of an in-service injury and that any current disabilities are not causally related to service.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his lumbar spine disability is denied prior to August 31, 2023 and in excess of 40 percent thereafter. His claim for service connection for tardive dyskinesia is denied. The Veteran's TDIU claim from September 25, 2015 to March 15, 2017 is dismissed.

Your appeals for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and a back disability have been dismissed due to the Veteran's death. The Board cannot issue a decision on these claims as they are no longer pending.

The Veteran's appeal for an increased disability rating in excess of 20 percent for lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis is denied.,The Veteran's appeal for an increased disability rating in excess of 10 percent for hemorrhoids is remanded due to the need for a new VA examination.

The appeal has been dismissed as the appellant requested to withdraw the appeal before a hearing was held.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for his cervical spine disability and left upper extremity radiculopathy ratings, finding that no pending claim prior to March 10, 2020, supported these requests.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty-to-assist error, specifically not having obtained a VA examination prior to the September 2020 rating decision on appeal regarding whether it was at least as likely as not that the Veteran's current back disability arose in or is related to his active-duty service.

The Veteran's lumbosacral strain with degenerative disc disease is not manifested by flexion functionally limited to less than 60 degrees, with muscle spasms or guarding severe enough to result in an abnormal gait or abnormal spinal contour. The Veteran's left lower extremity femoral nerve radiculopathy and sciatic nerve radiculopathy are both manifested by no more than mild incomplete paralysis.,The criteria for establishing entitlement to an evaluation in excess of 10 percent disabling for lumbosacral strain with degenerative disc disease have not been met. The Veteran's left lower extremity femoral nerve radiculopathy and sciatic nerve radiculopathy are both manifested by no more than mild incomplete paralysis.

The Veteran's claim for an increased disability evaluation for low back degenerative arthritis is being remanded due to the need for a VA peripheral nerves examination and a supplemental opinion regarding the impact of medication on his condition.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, right ear hearing loss, lumbosacral degenerative arthritis, degenerative disc disease and strain, right lower extremity radiculopathy, and left lower extremity radiculopathy have been granted service connection. The Veteran is entitled to a noncompensable rating for his right ear hearing loss.

The appeal for a higher rating for bilateral plantar fasciitis with bilateral pes planus is dismissed.,The reduction of the disability ratings for low back condition and left knee condition from 20% to 10% and noncompensable, respectively, effective January 29, 2024, was restored.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed because the Board Appeal request was not timely filed with respect to the rating decision issued on October 11, 2022.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including major depressive disorder, left shoulder arthritis, right ankle and knee conditions, have rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment consistent with his educational and occupational history.

The Board has decided to remand two issues: service connection for a low back disability as secondary to a right ankle disability and the rating of right ankle arthritis. The Veteran's lay statements, service treatment records, and VA examinations will be reviewed to determine if there is sufficient evidence to grant these claims.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection of low back disability, right lower extremity radiculopathy, and left lower extremity radiculopathy due to the Veteran's withdrawal of his appeal prior to a decision being made.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence regarding the onset and etiology of the Veteran's low back disability, including arthritis. The claims for psoriasis as secondary to the low back disability are also being remanded.

The Veteran's stroke, s/p cerebrovascular accident is granted as service-connected.,The Veteran's degenerative arthritis in left foot and lower back disability are granted as service-connected.,The Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the left knee and right knee are denied as not being service-connected.,The Veteran's degenerative arthritis in left hip is denied as not being service-connected.

The Veteran's bilateral knee braces used to treat his service-connected conditions caused damage to his clothing during Calendar Year 2021, warranting a clothing allowance.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as secondary to his service-connected major depressive disorder, lumbosacral strain, bilateral plantar fasciitis, and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy. The private clinician provided a medical opinion supporting this finding.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection of a sleep disorder is dismissed. An initial evaluation of 70 percent, but no higher, is granted for major depressive disorder. Service connection for lumbar spine and bilateral leg disabilities remains remanded.