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.
The deciding factor: The decision is based on the need for additional development regarding the current severity of the Veteran's ankle disabilities following recent surgeries.
- Claimed conditions
- left ankle sprain with 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
- Not specified
- Citation
- 18100162
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 18100162.
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's bilateral ankle disabilities, specifically right and left ankle sprain with degenerative joint disease, have been granted increased ratings. Additionally, a temporary total rating for convalescence after left ankle stabilization surgery from March 28, 2014 to June 2, 2014 has been granted, along with an effective date of March 28, 2014 for the Veteran's left ankle scar.
- 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.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected left knee disability is found to be the primary cause of his residuals of left femur fracture and left ankle sprain. The Board has granted service connection for these conditions as secondary to his service-connected left knee disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for updated VA medical records and a new VA examination to assess his current symptoms and severity of service-connected bilateral ankle conditions.
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