The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate March 2012 VA opinion addressing the aggravation component of secondary service connection for right Achilles tendon partial tear with fibrosis, to include as due to the service-connected left Achilles tendonitis.
The deciding factor: The Court found that the March 2012 VA examiner's opinion was inadequate in its rationale with respect to addressing the aggravation theory and confused causation with aggravation.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Achilles tendon partial tear with fibrosis
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 10, 2015
- Citation
- 1534189
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 1534189.
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.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's right Achilles tendon partial tear with fibrosis is not causally or etiologically related to active service, including his in-service diagnosis of plantar fasciitis, and is not caused or permanently worsened by his service-connected left Achilles tendonitis.
- Denied
The Board finds that the Veteran's current right Achilles tendon partial tear with fibrosis is not causally or etiologically related to active military service, including his in-service diagnosis of plantar fasciitis, and it is not caused or permanently worsened by his service-connected left Achilles tendonitis.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's right shoulder disability and migraines/chronic headaches are remanded for additional development due to insufficient opinions on the etiology of her conditions.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's lumbar spine arthritis is aggravated by his service-connected bilateral knee disabilities, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
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