The Board remands the claims for further development, including obtaining private treatment records and a VA examination to determine the severity of the Veteran's lumbar spondylitic changes at L4-L5 and lumbar degenerative disc disease, left lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy, and bony deformity of the mandible.
The deciding factor: Remand is necessary due to missing private treatment records and an inadequate medical opinion regarding the severity of the Veteran's service-connected conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spondylitic changes at L4-L5 and lumbar degenerative disc disease (DDD), left lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy, bony deformity of the mandible, status post wisdom tooth removal, to include scars and sore gum
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 7, 2025
- Citation
- 25006179
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 Board remands the claims for service connection for various conditions, including a back condition, right and left lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy, neck condition, upper extremity radiculopathy, bilateral flatfoot, right foot plantar fasciitis, and right ankle pain, as the current evidence is inadequate to make a decision.
- Denied
The Board denied earlier effective dates for the awards of service connection for various disabilities, including PTSD with other specified depressive disorder and multiple wrist and finger pain conditions.
- Dismissed
The appeal of the proposed reduction of the ratings for left and right lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathies from 20 percent to 10 percent was dismissed because it is not a final action.
- Partly granted
The Board denied an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for left lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy and a rating in excess of 20 percent for right lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy. However, the Board granted a 20 percent rating for right lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy beginning on March 19, 2020.
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