The Board has remanded the claims for a rating in excess of 10 percent for lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis prior to August 28, 2020 and for a separate compensable rating for right lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy prior to that date. The issues are related to the service-connected conditions.
The deciding factor: The Board found the current evaluations inadequate due to lack of clarity in medical reports and directed further evaluation with specific questions regarding functional loss, flare-ups, incapacitating episodes, ankylosis, and neurologic disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis, right lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 4, 2022
- Citation
- 22012687
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 22012687.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's service connection claims for various conditions were granted effective from July 1, 2020.
- Denied
The Board found the evidence persuasive against finding that the Veteran's lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis is proximately due to, the result of, or aggravated by his service-connected duodenal ulcer, pancreatitis, and cervical spondylosis with IVDS, degenerative disc disease, and stenosis. Therefore, the claim for service connection was denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 is remanded due to a duty-to-assist error, and the case is inextricably intertwined with his TDIU claim.
- Granted
The Board has granted earlier effective dates of February 24, 2023 for the Veteran's 20% ratings for left and right lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy and his entitlement to TDIU.
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