The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to deficiencies in prior examinations and incomplete medical records.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations did not comply with the requirements of Correia v. McDonald, 28 Vet. App. 158 (2016) and Sharp v. Shulkin, 29 Vet. App. 26 (2017). Additionally, there are insufficient medical records to determine the current severity of the Veteran's service-connected disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Joint Disease of the Thoracic and Lumbar Spine, Radiculopathy of the Femoral Nerve of the Right Lower Extremity, Radiculopathy of the Posterior and Anterior Tibial Nerve of the Left Lower Extremity, Radiculopathy of the Posterior and Anterior Tibial Nerves of the Right Lower Extremity, Surgical Scar
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 4, 2021
- Citation
- 21012628
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 21012628.
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 Board denied increased disability ratings for the Veteran's back, radiculopathy of both lower extremities, and a surgical scar, as well as earlier effective dates for these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's right shoulder disability and associated surgical scar are being remanded for further examination to determine their current severity, with a focus on the impact of flare-ups and upper extremity numbness. The rating for his service-connected right shoulder disability is also being remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional VA examinations and retrospective opinions regarding his service-connected abdominal hernia and surgical scar disabilities. The Board finds that the prior VA examinations are incomplete and do not address the Veteran's credible lay statements about his continuing symptoms.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to insufficient examination reports and the need to consider a urological disability related to his service-connected back disorder.
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