The Veteran's lower extremity radiculopathy and upper extremity paralysis have been granted initial ratings of 20 percent, but no higher.,The Veteran's lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis and intervertebral disc syndrome (IDVS) remains remanded for further evaluation.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not support a finding of moderate severe or severe incomplete paralysis in the Veteran's upper extremity conditions, leading to a determination that the current ratings are appropriate.
- Claimed conditions
- Left lower extremity radiculopathy sciatic nerve, Right lower extremity radiculopathy sciatic nerve, Left upper extremity paralysis of the median nerve, Right upper extremity paralysis of the median nerve
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 10, 2026
- Citation
- A26021338
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 A26021338.
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 an acquired psychiatric disorder and hypertension, but remanded several other claims related to the low back and various peripheral nerves.
- Granted
The Board granted earlier effective dates for the award of service connection for degenerative disc disease, left lower extremity radiculopathy sciatic nerve, and right lower extremity radiculopathy sciatic nerve.
- Denied
The Veteran's back disability, right lower extremity radiculopathy, and left lower extremity radiculopathy are currently rated at 20 percent each. The Board finds that the evidence does not support a higher rating for any of these conditions.,The Veteran's back disability is rated under DC 5242, which requires forward flexion to be limited to 15 degrees or less. The December 2021 VA examination did not find such limitation and found no additional functional loss due to pain, fatigue, weakness, lack of endurance, or incoordination.,The Veteran's bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy is rated under DC 8512 for the minor extremity. The December 2021 VA examination did not find any evidence of severe incomplete paralysis and found no additional functional loss due to pain, fatigue, weakness, lack of endurance, or incoordination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has ordered remand for additional examinations to assess the severity of the Veteran's service-connected degenerative disc disease L5-S1 with history of herniated disc, status post-surgery and his bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy. The current VA examination reports are inadequate.
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