The Board has remanded three issues related to the Veteran's service-connected low back strain with disc bulge, sciatica of left lower extremity, and sciatica of right lower extremity due to inadequate examination and need for updated treatment records.
The deciding factor: The examination was not adequate and new evidence is needed to assess the severity of the service-connected lumbar spine disability.
- Claimed conditions
- low back strain with disc bulge, sciatica of left lower extremity, sciatica of right lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 27, 2018
- Citation
- 18129632
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 18129632.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for emphysema and sciatica of the right lower extremity, denied a compensable rating for a right shoulder surgical scar, denied an increased rating for PTSD, granted TDIU from May 23, 2024, and remanded a claim for a higher rating for right shoulder strain.
- Partly granted
The Board denied increased ratings for the Veteran's left wrist degenerative arthritis, migraines, bilateral hearing loss, eye disability, and sciatica of the right lower extremity. However, it granted a 40 percent rating for back disability, service connection for erectile dysfunction secondary to the back disability, and special monthly compensation based on loss of use of a creative organ.
- Granted
An effective date of December 8, 2009 is granted for the grant of service connection for lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis of the spine.,An effective date of December 5, 2017 is granted for the grant of service connection for sciatica of right lower extremity.,No earlier effective date is granted for the grant of service connection for sciatica of left lower extremity.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's petition to reopen a claim of entitlement to service connection for sciatica of the left lower extremity is granted. The Board also remanded three issues: initial rating for sacroiliac degenerative joint disease, lumbar spine; compensable rating for pseudofolliculitis barbae (PFB); and service connection for sciatica of left lower extremity as secondary to sacroiliac degenerative joint disease, lumbar spine.
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