The Board remands the claims for increased disability evaluations for right lower extremity radiculopathy of the sciatic nerve to obtain a new VA examination and medical opinion that addresses the severity and impact of the Veteran's condition from October 15, 2009 through the present.
The deciding factor: The Board found the previous opinions inadequate as they did not provide a retrospective opinion addressing the severity of the Veteran's right lower extremity radiculopathy of the sciatic nerve for the entire rating period on appeal and did not address flare-ups adequately.
- Claimed conditions
- right lower extremity radiculopathy of the sciatic nerve
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 20, 2025
- Citation
- 25006879
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 Board denied the Veteran's appeal for an earlier effective date for service connection for right lower extremity radiculopathy of the sciatic nerve, as August 21, 2023, is the earliest possible effective date based on VA receiving the claim.
- Partly granted
The Board restored the 60% rating for degenerative arthritis and IVDS of the lumbar spine, status post fusion, with stenosis and spondylolisthesis. The claims for increased ratings for bilateral lower extremity radiculopathies were denied.
- Partly granted
The Board denied earlier effective dates for service connection and denied increased ratings, but granted service connection with an effective date of January 16, 2018, and a TDIU beginning April 18, 2017.
- Dismissed
The appeals for service connection for a cervical spine disorder, lumbar spinal stenosis, and psychiatric disorders were dismissed due to untimely notice of disagreement. The proposed rating reductions for lower extremity radiculopathy were also dismissed.
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