The Board has remanded the case due to ambiguity in medical opinions regarding the cause and aggravation of the Veteran's sciatic nerve disability. The new opinion is needed to address whether the May 2009 cervical decompressive laminectomy caused or aggravated any existing right lower extremity disabilities.
The deciding factor: The Board found that both medical opinions were equally probative but unclear on how they reached their conclusions, leading to a remand for further clarification and consideration of aggravation claims.
- Claimed conditions
- Myelopathy, Right Sciatic Nerve Disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 13, 2020
- Citation
- 20046493
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 20046493.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has granted an earlier effective date of July 11, 2019 for the grant of service connection for cervical arthritis, stenosis, and myelopathy. The claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is denied due to lack of evidence supporting a causal relationship with service-connected conditions or other factors.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for several disabilities, including left thumb, left wrist, right hip, back, and sciatic nerve conditions, but denied service connection for diabetes mellitus.
- Denied
The Veteran's service connection claim for right ear hearing loss is denied. The VA examiner found no current diagnosis of right ear hearing loss, and the Veteran does not have a current disability related to his thoracolumbar sprain or right shoulder that warrants an increased rating. A separate 10 percent rating was granted for the right sciatic nerve disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for left ear hearing loss has been reopened and granted.,Issues of service connection for headaches, loss of balance/dizziness (secondary to hearing loss), right ear hearing loss, left and right sciatic nerve disabilities, and insomnia disorder have been remanded.
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