The Board remands the claims for a low back disability rating in excess of 20 percent, service connection for sciatica as secondary to the low back disability, and service connection for a right knee disability due to inadequate medical examinations.
The deciding factor: The December 2019 VA examination reports were found inadequate by the Board because they did not address whether the Veteran's reported flare-ups equate to ankylosis of the spine, whether the Veteran suffered from sciatica or not, and whether the Veteran's right knee condition is related to service.
- Claimed conditions
- Sciatica, Right Knee Disability, to include pain, Low Back Disability (Healed vertebral body fracture, L-1, with osteophytes)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 24, 2025
- Citation
- A25037825
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 granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, left knee disability, and right knee disability. The claims for urinary frequency disability and residuals of a cholecystectomy were denied.
- Partly granted
The Board granted increased ratings for the Veteran's left and right knee disabilities, including separate ratings for instability and meniscal conditions, but denied higher ratings for flexion limitations in both knees. The Board also granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities prior to December 1, 2021.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 30 percent evaluation for tension headaches effective September 13, 2022, but denied earlier effective dates and service connection for various conditions.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and insomnia, but denied service connection for right knee disability, left knee disability, right ankle disability, intestinal condition (chronic colitis), and chronic migraine disability.
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