The appellant contends that he injured his right ankle during service and has been experiencing pain since then. The VA is remanding the case for a comprehensive orthopedic examination to determine if any current right ankle disability is related to his period of active military service.
The deciding factor: The VA needs to conduct an adequate medical examination to assess whether any current right ankle disability is linked to the appellant's in-service injury.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of a right ankle injury
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 14, 2004
- Citation
- 0401407
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 0401407.
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.
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- Granted
The Board granted service connection for residuals of a right ankle injury, to include arthritis, resolving all doubt in the Veteran's favor.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for right and left wrist disabilities, right and left lower extremity radiculopathy, and bilateral hearing loss. However, the claim for headaches was granted, and some claims were remanded.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, including GERD, neck injury, right knee injury, left knee injury, shrapnel wound to the lower left leg, right ankle injury, left ankle injury, RLE neuropathy, and lower back injury.
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