The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his lumbar spine disability and radiculopathy, LLE and RLE, sciatic nerve due to incomplete evaluations in prior examinations. The Veteran is presumed to seek the maximum available benefit.
The deciding factor: Incomplete evaluations in prior VA examinations prevented a determination of the extent of functional loss during flare-ups or following repetitive use over time for his lumbar spine disability, and an accurate onset date for his radiculopathy.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Joint Disease, Lumbar Spine, Radiculopathy, Left Lower Extremity (LLE), Sciatic Nerve, Radiculopathy, Right Lower Extremity (RLE), Sciatic Nerve
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 12, 2024
- Citation
- 24007318
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 24007318.
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 claim for an increased disability rating for his degenerative joint disease, lumbar spine is remanded due to the inadequacy of the August 2020 VA examination report and the need for current range of motion testing that disregards the ameliorative effects of his medications.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection related to degenerative joint disease, lumbar spine, lumbar canal stenosis; right knee condition; left knee condition; right shoulder condition; and neck pain are remanded due to duty-to-assist errors.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU due to inadequate medical opinions regarding his back disability, as well as a need for additional information on his unemployability claim.
- Dismissed
The appeal for an increased rating for degenerative joint disease, lumbar spine, is dismissed.
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