The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for updated VA examinations and additional treatment records.
The deciding factor: The Veteran has had recent surgeries on his ankle disabilities, and new evidence suggests a potential increase in severity. Updated medical evaluations are necessary to determine current disability levels.
- Claimed conditions
- left ankle sprain with history of degenerative joint disease, right Achilles tendon repair
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 20, 2017
- Citation
- 1712805
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 1712805.
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 claims are being remanded to determine the current severity of the Veteran's left and right ankle disabilities, including after his December 2017 surgery. The case will be returned for further review.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the cases of the Veteran's service connection claims for left and right Achilles tendon repairs due to inadequate medical opinions based on inaccurate factual backgrounds.
- 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.
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