The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining records from Womack Army Medical Center and providing a new medical opinion regarding the cause of his ankle conditions.
The deciding factor: VA has not fulfilled its duty to obtain all relevant service treatment records, particularly those from the period when the tree accident may have occurred. Additionally, VA's current opinions are based on an incomplete record and do not address the continuity of symptoms as described by the Veteran in his testimony.
- Claimed conditions
- right ankle condition, to include calcaneal spurring of the right ankle, left ankle condition, to include calcaneal spurring of the left ankle
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 6, 2017
- Citation
- 1706714
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 1706714.
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
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- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is granted as the evidence shows a current diagnosis of PTSD, an in-service stressor, and a medical link between the two.
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