The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for higher ratings for lumbosacral strain, right and left lower extremity radiculopathy due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the severity of his conditions prior to November 19, 2018 and from November 19, 2018 onwards.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the VA examination reports dated July 2019, October 2019, July 2021, and November 2021 were inadequate for rating purposes due to inconsistencies and deficiencies in identifying range of motion on active and passive motion or in weight-bearing and non-weight-bearing.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbosacral strain, sciatic radiculopathy of the right lower extremity, sciatic radiculopathy of the left lower extremity, rhegiculopathy of the femoral nerve
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 2, 2023
- Citation
- 23042332
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 23042332.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's service connection claims for lumbosacral strain, asthma, melasma and hydradenitis, hypertension, an acquired psychiatric disorder (claimed as depression, anxiety, and stress), left shoulder disorder, right shoulder disorder, left knee disorder, a left foot disorder, and IBS have been granted. The remaining issues are remanded.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew their appeal for service connection of a lumbosacral strain, resulting in the dismissal of this issue.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis, finding that it is related to his in-service injury. The claimant did not contest this decision.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a lumbar spine disability, including degenerative arthritis and IVDS. The decision is based on the Veteran's in-service injury during active duty and his continuous symptoms since then.
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