The Veteran's claim for service connection for radiculopathy of the bilateral lower extremities secondary to his service-connected lumbar strain is remanded. His hypertension claim is also remanded as it may be related to herbicide exposure or diabetes.,The Board has decided that a higher rating for the Veteran's lumbar strain is not warranted at any point during the appeal period, and the matter of service connection for radiculopathy of the bilateral lower extremities secondary to his service-connected lumbar strain is remanded. The hypertension claim is also remanded as it may be related to herbicide exposure or diabetes.,The Veteran's hypertension has not been assigned a rating and no effective date has been established.
The deciding factor: Both the radiculopathy of the bilateral lower extremities and hypertension claims are remanded due to insufficient evidence on their respective etiologies, specifically whether they are related to herbicide exposure or diabetes.,The Veteran's lumbar strain claim is denied as there is not enough evidence showing a severity akin to forward flexion 30 degrees or less. The radiculopathy of the bilateral lower extremities and hypertension claims are also remanded for further development on their respective etiologies.,No rating has been assigned for the Veteran's hypertension, and no effective date has been established.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar strain, radiculopathy of the bilateral lower extremities, hypertension
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 30, 2021
- Citation
- 21071336
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 21071336.
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 remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to conflicting opinions regarding service connection for peripheral neuropathy, hypertension, and skin disabilities related to herbicide exposure.
- 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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