The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding his lumbar spine disability, bilateral ankle disabilities, and right and left sciatic nerve radiculopathy. The issues of TDIU are also being deferred until these matters are resolved.
The deciding factor: The claims involve complex medical issues that require clarification from VA medical experts to determine the appropriate ratings and service connection determinations.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease L4-5, left, spinal stenosis, post laminectomy syndrome, and herniated nucleus pulposus L-S spine, Right sciatic nerve radiculopathy, Left sciatic nerve radiculopathy, Right lower extremity (RLE) femoral radiculopathy, Left lower extremity (LLE) femoral radiculopathy, Right ankle disability, Left ankle disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 11, 2022
- Citation
- 22039450
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 22039450.
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 Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of January 10, 1997, for a 10% disability rating for his right ankle disability is denied as there was no CUE in the previous decisions.
- Granted
The Board has granted the appellant's claim for service connection for left ankle disability residuals, finding that his current condition is due to an in-service injury and granting the benefit of the doubt.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's right ankle disability is related to his service. The VA examiner must provide an opinion on this matter.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claims for service connection have been dismissed due to their death.
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