The Veteran's claims for increased rating of chronic lumbar back strain and service connection for right hip condition as secondary to his service-connected chronic lumbar back strain are remanded. The claim for a separate disability rating for bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy is also remanded, and the TDIU claim remains inextricably intertwined with these issues.
The deciding factor: The claims require additional development due to incomplete evaluations and need clarification regarding the nature of the Veteran's right hip condition and its relationship to his service-connected back disability. The lower extremity radiculopathy issue also requires further examination to differentiate symptoms related to the Veteran’s service-connected diabetic peripheral neuropathy from those associated with his radiculopathy.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic lumbar back strain, right hip condition
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 12, 2019
- Citation
- 19117892
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,249 · Granted: 37% (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 19117892.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a shoulder condition, bilateral knee condition, and right hip condition. The Veteran's claims were based on current diagnoses of these conditions but the evidence did not support an in-service injury or disease.,The Board also noted that there was no nexus between the current disabilities and service due to lack of in-service complaints or injuries.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, depression, migraine headaches, hypertension, abnormal heartbeat, bilateral eye condition (sensitivity to light), erectile dysfunction, skin disorder, upper spine condition, lower back condition, skeletal arthritis of entire joint system, left hip condition, right hip condition, left knee condition, right knee condition, left foot condition, and right foot condition have all been denied.,The Board found that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for service connection for any of these conditions due to a lack of current disability or no evidence linking the claimed conditions to his active duty service.
- Denied
The Board has determined that there is no evidence of a current disability for any of the claimed conditions, and thus service connection cannot be granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's bilateral hip conditions, right knee condition, and/or right ankle condition are related to service. The claims are remanded for further development.
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