The Board remands the claim for an initial disability rating higher than 20 percent for radiculopathy of sciatic nerve of the right lower extremity to obtain outstanding VA treatment records and a new VA examination.
The deciding factor: Remand is required due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error and an inadequate October 2022 VA examination, as per the Joint Motion for Partial Remand.
- Claimed conditions
- radiculopathy of sciatic nerve of the right lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 17, 2025
- Citation
- A25035443
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,341 · Granted: 33% (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 A25035443.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board denied increased ratings for cervical spondylosis and stenosis with IVDS, lumbosacral strain with degenerative disc disease and IVDS, radiculopathy of the right upper extremity, radiculopathy of the left upper extremity, radiculopathy of sciatic nerve of the left lower extremity, radiculopathy of femoral nerve of the right lower extremity, and radiculopathy of the external cutaneous nerve of the thigh of both lower extremities. However, a 40 percent rating was granted for radiculopathy of the sciatic nerve of the right lower extremity and a 30 percent rating was granted for radiculopathy of the femoral nerve of the left lower extremity.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remanded the veteran's claims for special monthly compensation and increased ratings for several conditions due to missing medical records.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.