The Veteran claims service connection for cold injury residuals of the feet, which she contends are due to frostbite during basic training. The Board finds that a VA examination is necessary to determine if the Veteran has a current bilateral foot disability and whether it is related to her active duty service.
The deciding factor: The absence of STRs documenting frostbite or treatment for cold injury residuals does not preclude service connection, as the Veteran's lay testimony supports her claim.
- Claimed conditions
- cold injury residuals of the feet
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 11, 2015
- Citation
- 1551938
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 1551938.
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 determined that the Veteran's current cold injury residuals of the hands and feet, diagnosed as secondary Raynaud’s syndrome, are as likely as not attributable to an in-service occurrence. Therefore, service connection is granted for both conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to missing service records, and a need for further examination to determine if the Veteran's current foot condition is related to his service.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for increased evaluations of hypertension and epididymitis, as well as his claim to reopen the tuberculosis service connection issue, have been dismissed due to withdrawal requests from the Veteran.,The Veteran's appeal regarding cold injury residuals of the feet was also dismissed. The Board found that no new and material evidence had been submitted to reopen this previously denied claim.
- Granted
The Board has determined that there is equipoise of evidence regarding whether the Veteran's cold injury residuals of the feet are related to her military service. As a result, the claim for service connection is granted.
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