The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection and increased rating of his back disability, as well as his bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy. The AOJ is instructed to obtain private medical records and provide an addendum opinion regarding the secondary service connection of the radiculopathy.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran's claims are inextricably intertwined with the remanded issues, including obtaining additional medical evidence and providing a new VA opinion on the secondary service connection of his lower extremity radiculopathy.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of back strain-lumboparavertebral myositis, rhabdomyolysis, radiculopathy of the right lower extremity, radiculopathy of the left lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 21, 2022
- Citation
- 22053641
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 22053641.
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 claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to service-connected disabilities, finding that his physical limitations could be accommodated by sedentary employment.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied service connection for radiculopathy of the left lower extremity and remanded the claim for adjustment disorder. The Veteran's radiculopathy is not shown to be related to his military service, while his adjustment disorder may be related to civilian life.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for radiculopathy, left and right lower extremities as secondary to lumbosacral strain due to a lack of an adequate medical opinion prior to the March 2025 rating decision. The Veteran is advised to cooperate with VA in obtaining relevant evidence.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed all service connection claims and rating determinations due to the Veteran's withdrawal of his appeal.
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