The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain updated medical examinations and treatment records for the Veteran's service-connected radiculopathy of the lower extremities and degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, as well as to address the Veteran's claims for increased ratings.
The deciding factor: The most recent VA examination may not be representative of the current severity of the disabilities due to potential lack of consideration of the Veteran’s lay statements regarding pain management.
- Claimed conditions
- radiculopathy of the left lower extremity, raticulopathy of the right lower extremity, degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 27, 2019
- Citation
- 19166495
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 19166495.
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.
- Dismissed
The appeal regarding the proposed reduction of the Veteran's disability rating for radiculopathy of the left lower extremity was dismissed as it was not a final decision. The Board also remanded the claim for service connection for a left hip disability due to an inadequate VA examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection and increased ratings due to a procedural error regarding notice of the right to a pre-decisional hearing.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for various disabilities, including knee and foot conditions, a low back disability, radiculopathy, tinnitus, and a neck condition, to correct pre-decisional errors in fulfilling VA's duty to assist by rescheduling missed examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his thoracolumbar spine and radiculopathy conditions, as well as a separate rating for femoral nerve radiculopathy, to obtain additional medical evidence.
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