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Remanded (sent back)

The Board remands the claims for a higher rating for lumbar spine disability, lower extremity radiculopathy, and TDIU due to insufficient evidence and non-compliance with previous remand instructions.

The deciding factor: Remand is necessary to ensure compliance with the duty to assist in obtaining treatment records and to properly evaluate the Veteran's service-connected disabilities according to applicable legal standards.

Claimed conditions
Residuals of fractured coccyx with degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, intervertebral disc syndrome, and spinal stenosis, Right lower extremity radiculopathy (involving the femoral nerve), Left lower extremity radiculopathy (involving the femoral nerve), Right lower extremity radiculopathy (involving the sciatic nerve), Left lower extremity radiculopathy (involving the sciatic nerve), Total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating assigned
None in this decision
Decision date
December 29, 2025
Citation
25015242

Veterans Law Judge

J. NICHOLS

Decisions by this judge: 945 · Granted: 43% (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 25015242.

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.

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