The Board has determined that additional development is needed before the claims can be adjudicated, including obtaining updated VA Form 21-8940 from the Veteran and scheduling him for a VA examination to assess his service-connected lumbar spine disability and lower extremity sciatica. The TDIU claim is also inextricably intertwined with the increased rating claims.
The deciding factor: The Board finds that additional development, including obtaining updated information from the Veteran and scheduling him for a comprehensive VA examination, is necessary to properly adjudicate his service-connected disabilities and their impact on his employment.
- Claimed conditions
- postoperative lumbar spondylosis, left lower extremity sciatica, right lower extremity sciatica
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 22, 2019
- Citation
- 19104911
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,612 · Granted: 16% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19104911.
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 granted service connection for lumbar strain and lumbar intervertebral disc syndrome with left sciatica. The right lower extremity sciatica claim is remanded due to a duty-to-assist error.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for increased disability ratings for lumbar spine arthritis and right lower extremity sciatica have been dismissed due to the Veteran's withdrawal of his appeal.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for bilateral lower extremity sciatica, secondary to the Veteran's service-connected lumbosacral strain. The decision is based on a finding of reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeals regarding service connection for left and right lower extremity sciatica, leading to the dismissal of these claims.
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