The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy due to a lack of sufficient evidence regarding the etiology of his condition. The Veteran is not currently service connected for a lumbar spine disorder, but there are in-service reports of low back pain that radiated into both thighs and an assessment of questionable sciatica.
The deciding factor: The Board found insufficient evidence to determine whether the Veteran's current bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy is related to his service or any other condition. The examiner was asked to provide a medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's radiculopathy, but due to the lack of specific in-service records and conflicting opinions from private providers, an opinion could not be provided without speculation.
- Claimed conditions
- left lower extremity radiculopathy, right lower extremity radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 14, 2023
- Citation
- 23015411
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 23015411.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals were dismissed due to the death of the appellant. The issues related to service connection for various conditions and disability ratings.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a lumbar spine disability, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and right lower extremity radiculopathy as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine disability.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for left lower extremity radiculopathy and denied the claims for right knee disability, erectile dysfunction, GERD, sleep apnea, and hypertension. The decision is remanded for further action on these issues.
- Granted
The Board has granted earlier effective dates for the grant of service connection for middle and index trigger finger/stenosing tenosynovitis of the right hand, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and right lower extremity radiculopathy. The earliest effective date is June 30, 2012, for the right hand condition and April 22, 2016, for bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy.
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