The Veteran's claim for service connection for a left foot disability (other than pes planus) is being remanded due to the need for a new examination and proper VCAA notice, as well as obtaining relevant treatment records from federal agencies.
The deciding factor: A new examination is necessary to determine if the Veteran's left foot degenerative joint disease is at least as likely as not caused by or aggravated by his service-connected disabilities. Proper VCAA notice is also required for a secondary service connection claim.
- Claimed conditions
- left foot degenerative joint disease
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 14, 2017
- Citation
- 1727349
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 1727349.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted a TDIU effective from January 1, 2012, as his service-connected disabilities precluded him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for Parkinson's disease due to new and relevant evidence. The TDIU claim is denied as there are no service-connected disabilities meeting the schedular requirements, and the appellant is not unemployable by reason of his service-connected conditions.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, including a back condition, hearing loss, tinnitus, diabetes mellitus type 2, and various musculoskeletal disorders. The appeal of the claims for a back condition, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus was dismissed due to untimely notice of disagreement.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected left foot disabilities result in loss of use as defined by VA regulations, and therefore grants special monthly compensation (SMC) based on this condition.
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