The Board has remanded the case for further development due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's foot disabilities.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not adequately address the Veteran's lay statements and service treatment records documenting foot problems in service, nor did they account for the continuity of symptoms reported by the Veteran.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hammertoes, bilateral hallux valgus, bilateral mild joint space loss at the first metatarsophalangeal joint, remote posttraumatic deformity of the left second proximal phalanx, minor enthesopathic changes evident at the Achilles insertion and the plantar surface of the calcaneus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 8, 2016
- Citation
- 1627334
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 1627334.
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 determined that the VA examinations are inadequate for rating purposes and thus remands the case to obtain a new examination. The issues include determining whether bilateral hallux valgus and/or acquired pes cavus are secondary to sesamoiditis, whether there is a neurological disability of the right great toe, and whether there was a period of convalescence following the July 2022 sesamoidectomy.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unemployable from performing all forms of substantially gainful employment that are consistent with his education and occupational experience, granting entitlement to TDIU.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to inadequate medical opinions regarding his bilateral knee and foot conditions. The Veteran is seeking service connection for these conditions, which are currently found to be related to active duty.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied service connection for allergic rhinitis, hypertension, tinea pedis, bilateral pes planus, and bilateral hallux valgus. The Veteran's claims for PTSD and bilateral sciatica are remanded for further development.
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