The Board has determined that the VA remand instructions were not substantially complied with, and a new medical opinion is required to address the Veteran's neurological abnormalities possibly related to his thoracolumbar spine condition.
The deciding factor: The previous VA opinion did not properly address whether the Veteran's neurological abnormalities are due or associated with his service-connected thoracolumbar spine condition.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic lumbosacral strain, sciatic nerve radiculopathy of the right lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 28, 2022
- Citation
- 22018151
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 22018151.
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.
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- 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.
- Granted
The Board has granted the restoration of entitlement to total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) and basic eligibility for Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA), effective May 1, 2020. The decision was made due to procedural errors in the previous termination decisions.
- 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.
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