The Board is remanding the claim for a new VA examination to determine if the Veteran's current right ankle disability was caused or accelerated by his December 2009 and March 2010 surgeries, as well as whether any internal fixation devices used were placed in such a way that they prevented compression of the fracture site.
The deciding factor: The Board finds that substantial compliance with prior remand directives has not been achieved due to deficiencies in the September 2017 VA examination and requests another examination by an orthopedic surgeon with expertise in ankle internal fixation surgery, as well as access to a diagnostic quality radiographic monitor.
- Claimed conditions
- right ankle osteoarthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 16, 2018
- Citation
- 1810303
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 1810303.
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 Board has granted service connection for left ankle osteoarthritis, right ankle osteoarthritis, and right foot metatarsalgia.,Service connection is established based on direct evidence of the conditions in question.
- Granted
The Veteran was granted a total disability rating due to individual unemployability (TDIU) for the period prior to April 2, 2022, effective October 12, 2021. The Board found that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevented him from securing or following gainful employment since at least October 2021.
- Granted
The Veteran's claims for service connection have been granted for lumbar spine disability, peripheral vision loss, left side inguinal hernia, and right ankle osteoarthritis. The evidence received since the July 2018 rating decision is considered new and relevant to these conditions.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right knee degenerative joint disease and right ankle osteoarthritis, finding that there is no competent medical evidence linking these conditions to service.
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