The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his thoracolumbar spine intervertebral disc syndrome, right lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy, right lower extremity femoral nerve radiculopathy, and left lower extremity radiculopathy due to lack of recent VA treatment records and insufficient current evaluations.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's conditions have not been evaluated since August 2016, and the most current assessment is needed for proper rating determination.
- Claimed conditions
- Thoracolumbar spine intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS) with degenerative disc disease, Right lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy, Right lower extremity femoral nerve radiculopathy, Radiculopathy of left lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 9, 2020
- Citation
- 20077772
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 20077772.
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.
- 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.
- Denied
The Veteran's radiculopathy of the left and right lower extremities were granted service connection effective October 25, 2018.,PTSD was also granted service connection effective July 10, 2007. The Veteran requested an earlier effective date for PTSD, but this was 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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