The Veteran's back disability is rated at 20 percent, and his right lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy from April 18, 2022, is rated at 20 percent. The remaining issues are remanded for further review.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations did not provide sufficient information to determine the appropriate disability ratings without additional evidence and testing.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease with intervertebral disc syndrome and spondylolisthesis, Right lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy, Left lower extremity sciatic nerve neuropathy, Left lower extremity femoral nerve radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 8, 2024
- Citation
- A24073311
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,963 · Granted: 32% (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 A24073311.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected right lower extremity sciatic and femoral nerve radiculopathy with restless leg syndrome is currently rated at 20 percent, effective May 8, 2024. The appeal for higher ratings has been denied.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected degenerative disc disease and associated right and left lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy disabilities have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and the Board has granted TDIU on this basis.
- Granted
The Veteran meets the schedular percentage requirements for a TDIU due to his service-connected disabilities, which prevent him from engaging in substantially gainful employment.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected DDD thoracolumbar spine and associated radiculopathies of the lower extremities have caused a loss of use of both lower extremities, necessitating regular and constant use of assistive devices such as canes. As a result, eligibility for specially adapted housing has been granted.
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