The Board has remanded the claims for further development due to issues raised by the Court in a June 2016 memorandum decision. The Veteran's claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder will be remanded for clarification of the significance of a claimed stressor involving G.L., and for consideration of whether any superimposed heel spurs are related to service. The bilateral pes planus claim will also be remanded for clarification regarding the relevance of the Veteran's first period of service, and for an opinion on whether any superimposed disease or injury resulted in additional disability.
The deciding factor: The Court found that the Board should have discussed evidence corroborating a claimed stressor involving G.L., and that further clarification is required concerning the significance of this event as it appears the Veteran did not serve on the vessel where the incident occurred. The examiner must also address whether any superimposed heel spurs are related to service.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral pes planus, acquired psychiatric disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 29, 2017
- Citation
- 1709845
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 1709845.
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.
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The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for an addendum opinion regarding the nature and etiology of his unspecified neurocognitive disorder, which was diagnosed after a September 2021 heart surgery. The issues are about service connection on the merits.
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