The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for left and right leg sciatica due to potential connections with his active duty service or service-connected disabilities, specifically pes planus, chondromalacia patella, and left ankle degenerative arthritis.
The deciding factor: The decision is based on the possibility of a link between the Veteran’s bilateral sciatica and his active duty service as well as his service-connected disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- left leg sciatica, right leg sciatica
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 18, 2018
- Citation
- 18112034
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 18112034.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of left leg sciatica, and thus service connection for this condition is denied. The issues of service connection for degenerative cervical disease (neck disability), right upper extremity cervical radiculopathy as secondary to neck disability, lumbar spine L4/5 degenerative disc disease (back disability), and sinusitis are remanded due to the need for additional development.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU due to inadequate examinations, including those related to his lumbar spine and right leg sciatica. The claims are being returned for further examination and opinion.
- Dismissed
The appeal regarding the issues of entitlement to an increased rating for right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome and service connection for various conditions was dismissed due to concurrent election.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for a back disability and right leg sciatica, finding that the Veteran's back disability caused his obesity, which in turn led to his back disability (via intermediate step), and that his back disability is also directly related to his hypertension. The right leg sciatica was found to be secondary to the back disability.
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