The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for lumbar spine spondylosis and sciatic nerve radiculopathy of the lower extremities have been remanded by the Board.,No effective date has been provided as the issues are still under review.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not meet the criteria for a higher rating in any of the appealed periods, with no ankylosis or incapacitating episodes being shown to warrant increased ratings.
- Claimed conditions
- spondylosis of L4 vertebra with chronic low back pain and degenerative disc disease (DDD) (lumbar spine spondylosis), sciatic nerve radiculopathy of the right lower extremity, sciatic nerve radiculopathy of the left lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 17, 2021
- Citation
- 21008711
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 21008711.
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 Veteran's TDIU claim is being remanded due to a failure to obtain relevant VA medical records from the San Juan VA Medical Center. The Veteran meets the schedular threshold for TDIU based on his service-connected disabilities and combined rating of 70 percent.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to inadequate examination and duty to assist error. The Veteran's back disability is being examined again to determine if it was aggravated by his service-connected lower extremity disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that new and relevant evidence has been received to warrant readjudication of the Veteran's claims for higher ratings in several service-connected conditions. The issues are being remanded for further development, including additional examinations.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 40 percent evaluation for sciatic nerve radiculopathy of the right and left lower extremities, a 30 percent evaluation for femoral nerve radiculopathy of the right and left lower extremities, and a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU), but denied an increased evaluation in excess of 40 percent for spinal stenosis and lumbar intervertebral disc syndrome.
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