The Board remands the claims for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for two hernia residual scars, an initial rating in excess of 40 percent for a lumbar disorder, and ratings in excess of 20, 30, and 40 percent for right lower extremity radiculopathy (femoral nerve), left lower extremity radiculopathy (femoral nerve), and a left upper extremity disability (ulnar nerve) respectively.
The deciding factor: The remand is necessary to obtain outstanding VA treatment records from 2021 onward, as the Board did not define subjective terms for the increased ratings for radiculopathy and provided inadequate reasons and/or bases for the Veteran's radiculopathy claims.
- Claimed conditions
- Hernia residual scars, Lumbar disorder, Right lower extremity radiculopathy (femoral nerve), Left lower extremity radiculopathy (femoral nerve), Left upper extremity disability (ulnar nerve)
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 15, 2025
- Citation
- 25012859
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,960 · Granted: 36% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 25012859.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to duty-to-assist errors and insufficient medical opinions. The issues include PTSD, neck disorder, back disorder, left-hand disorder, bilateral foot disorders, and bilateral knee disorders.
- Denied
The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings and effective dates was denied. The decision specifically addressed the issue of an increased rating for PTSD, which was found not to meet the criteria for a higher disability rating.
- Denied
The Board denied higher disability ratings for the veteran's low back and lower extremity radiculopathies, pseudofolliculitis barbae, pes planus and plantar fasciitis, and left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome.
- Granted
The Board granted higher initial ratings for the Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine with intervertebral disc syndrome and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathies, as well as an earlier effective date for service connection.
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