The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to an inadequate prior VA examination and a need for further medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's gout.
The deciding factor: The decision is based on the need for a thorough explanation of the examiner's opinion, including consideration of in-service treatment records and the Veteran's current condition.
- Claimed conditions
- gout of the ankles, gout of the feet, gout of the knees
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 13, 2016
- Citation
- 1646696
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 1646696.
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 decided that the Veteran's gout of his feet is related to a period of active-duty service and remands for further examination.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for all the claimed conditions as there was no evidence of a current disability or that any of the disabilities were related to active duty.
- Partly granted
The veteran was granted a 30% rating for GERD and a 50% rating for bilateral pes planus and plantar fasciitis with arthritis and gout of the feet. All other claims were denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection and a higher rating are being remanded due to duty-to-assist errors related to incomplete records, including missing STRs and SPRs. The Veteran is also seeking a higher rating for prostate cancer residuals and service connection for gout of the ankles.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for gout of the ankles is also being remanded because VA failed to secure an examination and opinion on whether the disability is related to herbicide exposure.
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