The Veteran seeks service connection for right ankle, knee, hip and lumbar spine disorders as secondary to his service-connected right foot plantar wart/callus. The Board finds a remand is necessary to obtain an addendum medical opinion.
The deciding factor: An addendum opinion is needed to address the theory of secondary causation for the claimed disorders due to an altered gait caused by the Veteran's service-connected right foot condition.
- Claimed conditions
- Right ankle strain, Degenerative joint disease with meniscal tear of the right knee, Right hip strain, Facet arthrosis at L5-S1 of the lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 17, 2015
- Citation
- 1548393
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 1548393.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for cervical spine strain, right wrist sprain, right knee strain, left knee strain, and right ankle strain. The disabilities are all deemed to have begun during the Veteran's active duty.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for a cervical spine disability, right ankle strain, and mild right foot retrocalcaneal spur as there is no evidence of an in-service injury or disease that could be linked to the current disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's right hip strain is secondary to his service-connected left shin splint and bilateral knee disabilities. However, the opinion provided by the VA did not adequately address causation or aggravation of the right hip strain due to these conditions. The case is therefore being remanded for further analysis.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for right ankle strain and remanded the issue of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability.
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