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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew all his appeals, including the one for an increased rating for low back strain.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for bilateral plantar fasciitis, finding that the Veteran's pre-existing pes planus condition was aggravated by service. The effective date is August 15, 2025.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for athletes' foot, low back strain, and plantar fasciitis due to a lack of a VA examination prior to the August 2020 rating decision.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral plantar fasciitis with pes planus, finding that her current condition had its onset during active military service.
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