The Board remands the claims for increased ratings for lumbosacral strain with thoracic strain, right lower extremity radiculopathy of the sciatic nerve, and left lower extremity radiculopathy of the sciatic nerve due to insufficient information in the VA examination reports.
The deciding factor: The November 2022 VA examinations did not provide sufficient range of motion measurements or reasoning for failing to do so, which is necessary to adjudicate the claims on their merits.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbosacral strain with thoracic strain, right lower extremity radiculopathy of the sciatic nerve, left 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
- March 20, 2025
- Citation
- A25026359
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 granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and voiding dysfunction as residuals of a stroke, and granted initial ratings for the back disability, left shoulder disability, and left lower extremity radiculopathy. The claims for earlier effective dates for hypertension and stroke were denied.
- 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.
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