The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a disability rating in excess of 10 percent for his lumbar spine disability prior to January 9, 2020 and from January 9, 2020 onwards due to insufficient discussion of the ameliorative effects of medications used by the Veteran.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the evidence did not adequately discuss the ameliorative or beneficial effects of the medications the Veteran uses for his service-connected lumbar spine disability.
- Claimed conditions
- Spinal stenosis, lumbar laminectomy, medial facetectomy, bilateral foraminotomy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 15, 2026
- Citation
- A26004249
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation A26004249.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis, herniated disc, IVDS and spinal stenosis is rated at 40 percent since August 19, 2020. The appeal period did not show unfavorable ankylosis or incapacitating episodes of IVDS.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection for his lumbar spine condition and left lower extremity radiculopathy are being remanded due to incomplete service records and a lack of relevant VA treatment records. The Board will seek additional opinions regarding the etiology of these conditions.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for degenerative arthritis and spinal stenosis of the lumbar spine, finding that symptoms began during service and have persisted since.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for her back and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy are remanded due to inadequate VA examinations that did not consider the ameliorative effects of medication on her service-connected conditions.
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