The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for cervical spine strain, sciatica of the left lower extremity, and sciatica of the right lower extremity are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations that comply with VA examination guidelines.
The deciding factor: The examinations must comply with 38 C.F.R. § 4.59, which requires passive and active range of motion studies in both active and non-weight-bearing conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- Cervical spine strain, Sciatica, left lower extremity, Sciatica, right lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 22, 2018
- Citation
- 18128240
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 18128240.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for cervical spine strain, right wrist sprain, right knee strain, left knee strain, and right ankle strain. The disabilities are all deemed to have begun during the Veteran's active duty.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim of service connection for a neck disorder, as it is insufficiently addressed in the previous decision. The case will be sent back for an addendum opinion.
- Denied
The Veteran's cervical spine disability and right upper extremity radiculopathy were denied increased evaluations. The TDIU claim was also denied prior to August 20, 2013.
- Granted
The Board has granted a 20 percent rating for the Veteran's cervical spine strain from October 24, 2011. The effective date is set at that time.
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