The Veteran's service-connected lumbar disorder rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment prior to May 30, 2017.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's lumbar disorder caused constant pain and impaired his ability to sit or stand for extended periods, preventing him from performing physically intensive positions. The vocational assessment indicated he would be unable to give a full sermon due to his lumbar pain.
- Claimed conditions
- Lumbar Disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 17, 2026
- Citation
- A26023874
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 A26023874.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due solely to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and special monthly compensation (SMC) at the statutory housebound rate.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for right shoulder, lumbar, cervical neck, right knee, and left knee disorders due to inadequate etiological opinions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's lumbar spine disorder, including degenerative arthritis. The examiner should also opine as to whether it is at least as likely as not that any service-connected disability caused or worsened the lumbar disorder beyond its natural progression.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's cervical and lumbar disorders are not etiologically related to his active duty service.
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