The Board has remanded several issues for further development, including entitlement to increased ratings and service connection. The rating reductions for certain radiculopathy conditions were not proper, and the Veteran's right lower extremity sciatic and femoral radiculopathy ratings have been restored from 10 percent to 20 percent effective August 12, 2019.
The deciding factor: The reduction in ratings was improper due to lack of evidence showing improvement in the Veteran’s ability to function under ordinary conditions of life and work.
- Claimed conditions
- right lower extremity sciatic radiculopathy, right lower extremity femoral radiculopathy, left lower extremity femoral radiculopathy, left lower extremity sciatic radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 18, 2020
- Citation
- A20018855
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 A20018855.
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 Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for right foot disability status post Mitchell's bunionectomy is granted with an effective date of July 25, 2023.,The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for left foot disability status post Mitchell's bunionectomy is dismissed as it does not meet the criteria for an earlier effective date.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for traumatic brain injury with migraine headaches and denied service connection for cervical strain, left knee strain, and left ankle deltoid ligament sprain. The remaining claims have been granted or are pending further development.
- Granted
The Veteran's left and right lower extremity sciatic radiculopathy disabilities were granted initial disability ratings of 40 percent, but no higher. The criteria for entitlement to these ratings have been met.
- Granted
The Veteran's service connection claims for various conditions are granted effective from August 4, 2023.
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