The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU due to inadequate examinations, including those related to his lumbar spine and right leg sciatica. The claims are being returned for further examination and opinion.
The deciding factor: The examinations were deemed inadequate as they did not consider the ameliorative effects of medication on the Veteran's conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar facet arthropathy, right leg sciatica
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 2, 2026
- Citation
- A26009280
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 A26009280.
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 has decided to remand the case due to incomplete medical records and a need for an updated VA medical opinion regarding the Veteran's back disorder.
- Dismissed
The appeal regarding the issues of entitlement to an increased rating for right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome and service connection for various conditions was dismissed due to concurrent election.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for a back disability and right leg sciatica, finding that the Veteran's back disability caused his obesity, which in turn led to his back disability (via intermediate step), and that his back disability is also directly related to his hypertension. The right leg sciatica was found to be secondary to the back disability.
- Granted
The Board revised the March 2022 rating decision to grant increased ratings of 20 percent for right and left leg sciatica, correcting what it deemed as clear and unmistakable errors.
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