The Board has remanded the case due to issues regarding an increased rating for service-connected bilateral hammertoe disability and other claims. The Veteran is seeking a higher initial evaluation, as well as service connection for additional conditions.
The deciding factor: The Court found that the September 2013 VA examination did not allow for a fully informed evaluation of the disability under Diagnostic Code 5003 due to lack of information regarding limitation of motion. The case is being remanded for further action, including obtaining all relevant unassociated VA records and providing the Veteran with an appropriate VA examination.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hammertoe status post corrective surgery of the fourth and fifth hammertoes with residual scars and degenerative changes
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 31, 2017
- Citation
- 1710294
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 1710294.
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 for additional development due to incomplete examination reports and unassociated VA treatment records. The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hammertoe disability is at issue, along with claims for a skin disability and an acquired psychiatric disorder.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected musculoligamentous strain, right knee, is currently rated at 10 percent and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted.
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