Back / lumbar spine decisions — 2026

The Veteran's appeal of the award of an earlier effective date for tinnitus has been withdrawn.,The Veteran's appeals for increased disability evaluations for his low back injury, right knee injury, left knee injury, left ankle injury, and bilateral hearing loss have all been dismissed as the appeal was withdrawn by the Veteran through his representative.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral shoulder disabilities, bilateral ankle disabilities, bilateral knee disabilities, and a thoracolumbar spine disability. Service connection was granted for hypertension.

All claims for service connection related to lumbosacral strain, left knee condition, right knee condition, left ankle condition, right ankle condition, right hand condition, left hand condition, athlete's foot/tinea pedis, right shin splints, left shin splints, erectile dysfunction, alopecia areata (hair loss), and acne have been dismissed due to lack of timely appeal. The Veteran does not have a current diagnosis for these conditions.

All claims for service connection related to lumbosacral strain, left knee condition, right knee condition, left ankle condition, right ankle condition, right hand condition, left hand condition, athlete's foot/tinea pedis, right shin splints, left shin splints, erectile dysfunction, alopecia areata (hair loss), and acne have been dismissed due to lack of timely appeal. The Veteran does not have a current diagnosis for these conditions.

The Board denied earlier effective dates for service connection and DEA benefits due to the date of diagnosis being August 9, 2024.

The Board denied service connection for lumbar spine disability and obstructive sleep apnea, finding that the evidence did not support a nexus to service.

The Board has denied service connection for cervical and lumbar spine conditions, finding no evidence of a nexus to service. The issues regarding secondary service connection have been remanded.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection on the grounds that they were not timely filed, as required by VA regulations.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to duty-to-assist errors, including obtaining complete treatment records from Dr. Akin and Dr. Dolnick, and obtaining medical opinions addressing whether the Veteran's current back disability was caused by wear and tear during service or aggravation of a preexisting scoliosis.

The Board has determined that the VA did not provide a necessary examination for service connection of low back condition, cervical spine condition, LLE numbness, and RLE numbness. The claims are being remanded to obtain these examinations.

The Board has granted earlier effective dates of July 24, 2020 for service connection of degenerative arthritis lumbosacral spine and related conditions, including radiculopathy right lower extremity. The decision is based on the submission of a valid Supplemental Claim.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection of a lumbar spine condition has been dismissed as he requested to withdraw his appeal.

The Veteran's back pain associated with degenerative arthritis began in service and has been granted service connection.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, has been granted.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for a cervical spine disorder and lumbar spine disorder have been remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current lumbar spine disability is related to his in-service injury, and thus service connection for lumbosacral strain is granted.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for right upper extremity radiculopathy, secondary to a nonservice connected cervical spine disorder and service-connected lumbosacral spine strain with degenerative joint disease, is denied.,The Veteran's claim for increased rating for left shoulder chronic strain is remanded.

Service connection for MDS is granted, and a higher initial disability rating of 40 percent for the service-connected back disability is also granted. Other issues on appeal are resolved in favor of the appellant.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for additional medical examination and opinion regarding the Veteran's headaches, including their relationship to his service-connected spine disability and PTSD.

The Board denied an earlier effective date for service connection of thoracolumbar spine degenerative disc disease, finding that the Veteran did not file a claim prior to March 1, 2018.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his service-connected intervertebral disc syndrome with lumbar strain, left and right knee patellofemoral syndrome with osteomalacia, and onychomycosis on bilateral toenails are remanded due to the need for additional examinations.