The Board has restored the prior disability ratings for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy from July 19, 2018 to February 24, 2021. However, due to conflicting findings regarding which nerves are affected by the radiculopathy, the case is remanded to determine the current severity of the disability for these periods.
The deciding factor: The examination reports from August 2018 and February 2021 identified different nerves as being affected by the radiculopathy. Clarification is needed regarding which nerve(s) are currently causing the Veteran's lower extremity radiculopathy.
- Claimed conditions
- left lower extremity radiculopathy (sciatic nerve), right lower extremity radiculopathy (sciatic nerve)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 2, 2024
- Citation
- 24000003
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,506 · Granted: 43% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 24000003.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to inadequate VA examinations and a pre-decisional duty to assist error. Additional development is needed for service connection of carpal tunnel syndrome, increased ratings for lower extremity radiculopathies, and obtaining a VA TERA opinion.
- Granted
The Veteran's lumbosacral strain with IVDS and associated radiculopathies of the left and right lower extremities are granted at a 40 percent rating prior to December 27, 2023, and denied for ratings in excess of this level from that date.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded two issues: the initial rating for a lumbar disorder and the initial rating for right lower extremity radiculopathy. The remand is due to inconsistencies in the VA examination report, particularly regarding range of motion during flare-ups.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations for service-connected left and right lower extremity radiculopathy are being remanded due to a scheduling error.
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