The Board remands the Veteran's claims for service connection for a lumbosacral strain with intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS), right hip radicular pain, and left hip radicular pain to ensure that due process is followed and there is a complete record upon which to decide the Veteran's claims.
The deciding factor: The June 2024 VA examination was inadequate as it failed to adequately discuss the Veteran's lay contentions regarding an in-service onset of low back pain with persistent and worsening symptoms thereafter, and no etiological opinion was provided.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbosacral strain with intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS), right hip radicular pain, left hip radicular pain (hip radicular pain causing femoral nerve issues and numbness in left foot)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 30, 2025
- Citation
- A25039879
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for bilateral shoulder conditions, lumbosacral strain with IVDS, and bilateral hip conditions to correct pre-decisional duty to assist errors.
- Dismissed
The appeal was dismissed as the proposed rating reductions were not final and appealable actions.
- Partly granted
The Board denied an increased rating for diabetes mellitus type II with erectile dysfunction and remanded claims for service connection for eczema, COPD, lumbosacral strain with IVDS, bilateral restless leg syndrome, obstructive sleep apnea, and lung nodules.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's lumbosacral strain with IVDS was granted a 40 percent disability rating, and service connection for right and left lower extremity radiculopathies associated with the condition was also granted.
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