The Veteran claims service connection for bilateral heel spurs and preexisting bilateral plantar fasciitis aggravated during periods of active duty training. The case is being remanded to obtain a VA opinion on the etiology of these conditions.
The deciding factor: VA must apply the 'benefit of the doubt' standard when determining whether there was aggravation of the Veteran's preexisting bilateral plantar fasciitis condition during her periods of active duty training in 2003 and 2004.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral heel spurs, preexisting bilateral plantar fasciitis
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 30, 2016
- Citation
- 1612830
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 1612830.
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 case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the etiology of bilateral heel spurs and peripheral neuropathy in the feet. The VA clinician is asked to provide an opinion on whether these conditions are causally or etiologically related to the Veteran's self-reported stress fractures and wearing ill-fitting shoes during service.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's anxiety disorder is granted a 70 percent rating, and TDIU is denied. Several service connection claims are remanded.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for hypertension and bilateral heel spurs, but denied increased ratings for carpal tunnel release scars and remanded claims for increased ratings of various conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for bilateral heel spurs, bilateral midfoot arthritis, and right posterior tibial tendonitis due to an inadequate VA medical opinion.
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