The Veteran's service-connected metatarsalgia and ankle disabilities are alleged to have caused or aggravated his lumbar spine, right knee, left knee, and cervical spine disorders. The Board is remanded for a new examination and opinion.
The deciding factor: The July 2013 VA examiner's opinion was based on an inaccurate factual predicate as the Veteran has intermittent foot pain that leads to an altered gait.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spine disorder, right knee disorder, left knee disorder, cervical spine disorder
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 23, 2018
- Citation
- 1804185
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 1804185.
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.
- Dismissed
The appeal was dismissed due to the Veteran's death while it was pending.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeal for service connection for a cervical spine disorder and bilateral cataracts of the eyes.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for PTSD, diabetes mellitus, type II, migraines, left and right knee disorders, and obstructive sleep apnea due to missing military records and inadequate examinations.
- Denied
The Board denied the claims for an increased rating for the left shoulder disorder, service connection for a cervical spine disorder, service connection for a right arm disorder, and service connection for a left arm disorder.
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