The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for higher initial ratings due to a lack of recent VA examinations and treatment records, as well as new symptoms reported by the Veteran.
The deciding factor: The Veteran reported increased deterioration in his spine over the past three years and numbness more frequently in his left foot. The RO is instructed to obtain updated VA treatment records and schedule the Veteran for an examination to determine current severity of his service-connected disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative joint disease of the lumbosacral spine, Left lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy, Right lower extremity femoral nerve radiculopathy, Left lower extremity femoral nerve radiculopathy, Bladder neck contracture
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 17, 2019
- Citation
- 19194595
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,776 · Granted: 24% (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 19194595.
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 Veteran's low back disability is rated at 50 percent effective February 13, 2021. His left lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy is rated at 80 percent from April 21, 2013 to February 12, 2021. The Veteran's TDIU claim has an earlier effective date of April 21, 2013.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected right lower extremity sciatic and femoral nerve radiculopathy with restless leg syndrome is currently rated at 20 percent, effective May 8, 2024. The appeal for higher ratings has been denied.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected degenerative disc disease and associated right and left lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy disabilities have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and the Board has granted TDIU on this basis.
- Granted
The Veteran meets the schedular percentage requirements for a TDIU due to his service-connected disabilities, which prevent him from engaging in substantially gainful employment.
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