The Veteran's request for higher ratings for his lower extremity radiculopathies and lumbar spine disability is remanded due to the need for additional examinations.
The deciding factor: The current examination reports are inadequate, as they do not provide sufficient detail regarding the severity of the Veteran’s symptoms during flare-ups or explain why an estimate of motion loss in terms of degrees cannot be given.
- Claimed conditions
- Left Lower Extremity Radiculopathy, Right Lower Extremity Radiculopathy, Lumbar Spine Disability, Right Shoulder Status Post Rotator Cuff Tear
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 31, 2019
- Citation
- 19196845
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 19196845.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, except for a 20 percent rating for lumbosacral strain.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for his lumbar spine disability, both before and after November 8, 2024.
- Partly granted
The Board denied increased ratings for the Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss, right lower extremity radiculopathy, and facial scars, status post excision of cyst of left and right jaw. However, it granted an initial 40% rating for right lower extremity radiculopathy from June 3, 2024.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed all issues as a matter of law due to a procedural defect in the Veteran's February 2023 VA Form 10182s, which attempted to concurrently elect multiple review options.
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