The Board has determined that the VA examination in May 2011 was inadequate and remands the case for a new examination to determine if the Veteran has a fallen arch of the right foot, its etiology, and whether it is related to his service-connected degenerative arthritis of the right ankle.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the VA examiner's opinion was insufficient due to lack of analysis rejecting the prior diagnosis of a fallen arch and failure to provide an opinion on the cause of the Veteran's symptoms in the absence of a fallen arch.
- Claimed conditions
- fallen arch of the right foot, degenerative arthritis of the right ankle
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 7, 2015
- Citation
- 1519660
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 1519660.
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 remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to inadequate medical opinions in the original decision. The issues of service connection are being addressed.
- Dismissed
The Board has granted service connection for various hip, ankle, and knee conditions. However, the Veteran did not appeal these decisions to the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC), so the claims are dismissed.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for service connection were dismissed as he withdrew his appeal with respect to all the issues.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for various ankle and knee disorders, as well as hypertension and sleep apnea due to a duty to assist omission regarding missing service treatment records.
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