The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and providing the Veteran with new examinations to assess her right ankle and shoulder disabilities. The case will be returned to the Board after this development.
The deciding factor: Additional relevant evidence was received by VA after the issuance of the May 2014 Statement of the Case but prior to certification of the appeal to the Board, necessitating a remand for consideration of this evidence and submission of a Supplemental Statement of the Case. Moreover, outstanding records from the Ankle and Foot Centers of Georgia should be obtained and the Veteran should be afforded new examinations.
- Claimed conditions
- right ankle degenerative joint disease (DJD), right shoulder fracture tuberosity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 21, 2015
- Citation
- 1544821
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 1544821.
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 granted service connection for lumbar spondylolisthesis and bilateral ankle dermatitis, restored the ratings for left knee limitation of extension, left ankle degenerative joint disease (DJD), and right ankle DJD, and denied service connection for sinusitis, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), a right 5th finger scar, increased ratings for left knee flexion and extension, and rhinitis.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remanded all issues to the Agency of Original Jurisdiction (AOJ) for further action, including obtaining missing medical records and scheduling new VA examinations.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, finding that it is at least as likely as not related to the Veteran's service-connected right shoulder and right ankle conditions.
- Granted
The Board has granted an annual clothing allowance for the right ankle brace used to treat service-connected right ankle degenerative joint disease (DJD) and right knee pain associated with right ankle DJD. The decision is based on the Veteran's continued use of the brace, which causes wear and tear on his clothing.
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