The Veteran's degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine and left leg radiculopathy have been granted a 40 percent rating. However, his right leg radiculopathy and left leg radiculopathy are remanded for further review.
The deciding factor: The January 2021 VA examination did not adequately address the Veteran's reports of severe flareups that significantly restrict his range of motion during flareups.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Joint Disease of Lumbar Spine, Left Leg Radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- April 1, 2026
- Citation
- A26029843
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 A26029843.
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 a 70 percent rating for PTSD, denied ratings in excess of 30 percent for left and right knee strains, granted separate 10 percent ratings for painful, noncompensable limitation of flexion of the knees, granted service connection for back condition and related radiculopathies, but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and a right shoulder condition.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed all appeals for service connection of various conditions, including insomnia, asthma, migraines, sleep apnea, erectile dysfunction, hypertension, bilateral hearing loss disability, pseudofolliculitis barbae, clavicle and shoulder disabilities, arm and leg radiculopathies, hip and knee disabilities, ankle disabilities, shin splints, and plantar fasciitis.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD and lumbar spine conditions, have rendered him permanently housebound since April 7, 2018. The Board has granted an effective date of April 7, 2018 for SMC based on his housebound status.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for clarification regarding whether his symptoms manifest as unfavorable ankylosis of the entire thoracolumbar spine or the entire spine, and when these symptoms manifested.
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