The Board has determined that additional development is needed to properly adjudicate the Veteran's claims for service connection for a bilateral ankle disorder and thoracolumbar spine disorder. Specifically, VA examinations are required to clarify the nature of any current disorders and their etiology.
The deciding factor: The previous medical opinions were not sufficient to address the specific issues raised by the Veteran regarding his service-connected disabilities and their relationship to his current conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral ankle disorder, thoracolumbar spine disorder
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 6, 2018
- Citation
- 1807493
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 1807493.
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 Veteran's appeals to service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, shin splints of the right and left lower extremities, multiple sclerosis (MS), thoracolumbar spine disorder, cervical spine disorder, left elbow disorder, left knee disorder, migraine headaches, and right knee disorder are dismissed.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a thoracolumbar spine disability, but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss disorder, gout, multiple painful joints, bilateral ankle disorder, bilateral knee disorder, and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including left hip disorder, bilateral ankle disorder, bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, heart disorder, insomnia, sexual arousal disorder, gynecological disorder, rheumatoid arthritis, and HTN. The evidence did not support a current diagnosis of these conditions or their relationship to military service.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for a rating in excess of 30 percent for chronic diarrhea with GERD is dismissed. The appeals for earlier effective dates for the grant of service connection for bilateral ankle disabilities are also dismissed.
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