The Board has remanded the claims for right lower extremity sciatica/radiculopathy and hypertension due to inadequate medical opinions provided in the July 2020 VA examination. The Veteran needs additional addendum opinions from an orthopedist and internist, respectively.
The deciding factor: The current medical opinions are insufficient as they do not address the nature and etiology of the right lower extremity radiculopathy or hypertension during the appellate period.
- Claimed conditions
- right lower extremity sciatica/radiculopathy, hypertension
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 17, 2021
- Citation
- 21008547
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 21008547.
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.
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The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations.
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- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension and increased rating for anxiety disorder have been denied. The Board found that there is no evidence of a current disability meeting the criteria for hypertension, and the Veteran's anxiety disorder does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
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