The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for left lower extremity radiculopathy of the sciatic and femoral nerves remain denied. The Board finds that remand is necessary to obtain an addendum VA medical opinion explaining the examiner's decision regarding right lower extremity radiculopathy.
The deciding factor: The September 2021 VA examiner did not provide a diagnosis for right lower extremity radiculopathy, and further clarification is needed.
- Claimed conditions
- sciatic nerve radiculopathy, left lower extremity, femoral nerve radiculopathy, left lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 30, 2021
- Citation
- 21077636
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 21077636.
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 the Veteran's claims for an effective date prior to November 22, 2021, for total disability based on individual unemployability (TDIU) and dependency and indemnity compensation (DEA). The Board found that there was no evidence showing the Veteran could not maintain substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted service connection for tremors, migraines, facet arthropathy (claimed as back pain), sciatic nerve radiculopathy of the left lower extremity, and sciatic nerve pain of the right lower extremity. Service connection for breathing problems, hypertension, and obstructive sleep apnea are denied.,The Veteran's service-connected conditions include tremors, migraines, facet arthropathy (claimed as back pain), sciatic nerve radiculopathy of the left lower extremity, and sciatic nerve pain of the right lower extremity. Service connection for breathing problems, hypertension, and obstructive sleep apnea are denied.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to February 6, 2023 for the award of service connection and a separate rating for left lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy is denied. The earliest date of entitlement is February 6, 2023.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for fatigue and a left ankle disability, as well as denied increased ratings and earlier effective dates for various disabilities.
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