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
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 Board granted earlier effective dates of June 2, 2023, for the grant of service connection for various conditions and eligibility to Dependents' Educational Assistance.
- Granted
The Board granted a 50 percent rating for the Veteran's degenerative joint disease of the lumbosacral spine, effective February 2, 2020.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 40 percent rating for the low back disability, denied an increased rating in excess of 20 percent for right lower extremity femoral nerve radiculopathy, granted a separate 10 percent rating for left lower extremity femoral nerve radiculopathy, and denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss.
- Denied
The Board denied a compensable disability rating for the Veteran's posterior trunk surgical scar and remanded claims related to his bilateral lower extremity radiculopathies.
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