The Board remands the issues of entitlement to higher ratings for degenerative disc disease and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy due to insufficient medical evidence.
The deciding factor: Insufficient medical evidence was provided to determine the severity of the Veteran's conditions during specific periods, making it impossible to render a decision without resorting to speculation.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease of the thoracolumbar spine, Bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 6, 2025
- Citation
- 25006135
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 699 · Granted: 12% (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 25006135.
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 back disability is rated at 40 percent prior to January 13, 2022. Effective March 18, 2020, the Veteran is granted TDIU.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that new and relevant evidence has been received for the Veteran's claims of service connection for degenerative disc disease of the thoracolumbar spine and obstructive sleep apnea. As a result, these claims are being remanded to allow for further review.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy on the basis of CUE in the February 1996 rating decision have been denied. The May 2022 rating decision is also dismissed as it failed to grant service connection.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted entitlement to Chapter 33 educational assistance benefits at the 100 percent rate due to his service-connected back disability and discharge from active duty.
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