The Board has determined that additional examinations are needed to assess the current severity of the Veteran's service-connected disabilities and to determine if they are related to his military service. The case is being remanded for these purposes.
The deciding factor: The Board finds that the current evidence does not provide sufficient information to make a determination on the claims without further examination and opinion.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative joint and disc disease, lumbar spine, Radiculopathy, sciatic nerve, left lower extremity, Radiculopathy, sciatic nerve, right lower extremity, Degenerative disc disease, cervical spine with left cervical radicular symptoms and slight narrowing of C3-C5, Hand swelling to include arthritis of the hand
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 19, 2023
- Citation
- 23022952
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 23022952.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an initial disability rating of 20 percent for radiculopathy, sciatic nerve, left and right lower extremities. The claim for a compensable rating prior to October 17, 2019, for migraine headaches was denied, as were the claims for TDIU due solely to the effects of migraine headaches.
- Granted
The Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine with IVDS, radiculopathy, sciatic nerve, right lower extremity, and PTSD, unspecified depressive disorder, and other specified depressive disorder are all granted as service-connected.,PTSD is linked to in-service stressors, while the other conditions have been granted on a direct basis.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his lumbar spine disability from May 4, 2007 to May 16, 2012 was denied. A 40 percent rating has been granted effective August 16, 2023.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of right ear hearing loss prior to April 1, 2022, and denied his claim for service connection for radiculopathy, sciatic nerve, right lower extremity. His claims for increased ratings for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine with IVDS were also denied.
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