The Board has determined that the Veteran's radiculopathy of the upper and lower extremities is related to his service-connected cervical strain and lumbosacral strain, but more opinions are needed to address whether these conditions were aggravated by those service-connected disabilities.
The deciding factor: The Board found inadequate medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's radiculopathy due to a lack of discussion on aggravation.
- Claimed conditions
- radiculopathy of the left upper extremity, radiculopathy of the right upper extremity, radiation of pain from cervical strain to left lower extremity (right leg), radiation of pain from lumbosacral strain to left lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 7, 2024
- Citation
- A24072795
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,592 · Granted: 19% (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 A24072795.
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-connected disabilities, in combination, render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation consistent with his education and work history.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for sleep apnea as secondary to multiple service-connected disabilities, including radiculopathy of the upper and lower extremities and low back condition. The Veteran is also granted a TDIU due to his inability to maintain substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected conditions.
- Granted
The Veteran's cervical spine disability is granted as service connected.,The Veteran's radiculopathy of the right upper extremity, secondary to a cervical spine disability, is also granted as service connected.,The Veteran's right wrist disability and left knee disabilities are remanded for further development.,The Veteran's right ankle disability is remanded for further development.,The Veteran's vitamin D deficiency is remanded for further development.
- Dismissed
The Veteran requested to withdraw his appeal for service connection of radiculopathy of the left upper extremity. The Board has dismissed this issue.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.