The Board has decided to remand the claims for a new VA medical opinion due to an inadequate previous opinion regarding the Veteran's lower back disability.
The deciding factor: The February 2025 VA medical opinion is not adequate as it did not address a service treatment record indicating that the Veteran had a lower back injury in June 1994, which post-dates his discharge from active duty.
- Claimed conditions
- lower back disability status post laminectomy and discectomy with herniated nucleus pulposus at L4-L5 and L2-L3 with degenerative disc disease and degenerative arthritis, midline lumbar scar
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 6, 2026
- Citation
- A26011454
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 A26011454.
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.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals for a higher rating for his lumbar spine disability and TDIU, as well as his initial claim of a 10 percent rating for his midline lumbar scar. The Board found that the Veteran withdrew these claims during his hearing.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected musculoligamentous strain, right knee, is currently rated at 10 percent and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted.
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