The Veteran's claim for service connection for low back strain, secondary to arthralgias of the bilateral hips, knees, and ankles is being remanded due to inadequate medical opinions in previous examinations.
The deciding factor: Previous VA examiners did not provide adequate opinions regarding whether the Veteran's low back disorder was caused or aggravated by his service-connected disabilities of flat feet, arthralgia of the bilateral ankles, arthralgia of the bilateral knees, and/or arthralgia of the bilateral hips.
- Claimed conditions
- low back strain, arthralgias of the bilateral hips, arthralgias of the bilateral knees, arthralgia of the bilateral ankles, pes planus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 28, 2010
- Citation
- 1004305
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 1004305.
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 denied increased ratings for the Veteran's back, right ring finger, and left foot hallux valgus disabilities but granted an initial 30 percent rating for pes planus from August 17, 2021, a 50 percent rating for pes planus from December 15, 2023, and a separate 10 percent rating for bilateral plantar fasciitis from August 17, 2021.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to follow and secure substantially gainful employment, thus a total disability rating for individual unemployability is granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a left foot disability to correct a pre-decisional duty to assist error, specifically regarding an inadequate October 2024 VA examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for pes planus, a bilateral great toe condition, hemorrhoids, and a low back condition to provide the Veteran with VA examinations.
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