The veteran's claim for additional vocational rehabilitation training is being remanded due to the need for updated medical findings and a review of his employment capabilities.
The deciding factor: The VA needs more current evidence regarding the status of the veteran's service-connected disabilities and their impact on his ability to perform the occupation for which he previously trained under Chapter 31.
- Claimed conditions
- right foot hammertoes, chronic low back pain from lumbar strain, chronic patellofemoral syndrome with laxity and limitation of motion
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 10, 2003
- Citation
- 0331105
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 0331105.
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 found that there may be relevant outstanding treatment records to obtain and associate with the claim file, particularly given the Veteran's citation to 'MEDICAL' in his request for service records. The claims are being remanded to address this duty to assist error.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the veteran's appeals for service connection for various conditions, including foot and calf pain, hammertoes, hallux valgus, and cervical spine degenerative arthritis.
- Denied
The Board denied higher ratings for the Veteran's right and left foot hallux valgus and right and left foot hammertoes, as the maximum 10 percent ratings were already assigned.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for right and left foot hammertoes to obtain adequate medical opinions addressing all reasonably raised theories of service connection.
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