The Board has remanded the right ankle and TDIU claims for additional development. The Veteran's request to pursue appeal of the lumbar spine and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy claims is not considered as those issues are not before the Board.
The deciding factor: The Veteran’s representative argued that this case was not ripe for adjudication due to incomplete remand directives, but the Board found that the May 2017 remand directives have been substantially complied with in this case.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative changes of the right ankle
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- August 24, 2018
- Citation
- 18129318
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 18129318.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's right and left ankle disabilities have been rated at the maximum schedular evaluation of 20 percent each, based on marked limitation of motion. The Board found no evidence of ankylosis or other conditions that would warrant higher ratings.,The Veteran's left hamstring tear has not yet had a rating assigned due to lack of definitive information regarding abduction loss beyond 10 degrees. The case is being remanded for further examination and evaluation.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a new VA examination to assess the severity of his service-connected right ankle disability, as well as obtaining additional medical records.
- Granted
The Veteran's radiculopathy of the left lower extremity is rated at 20 percent, effective July 28, 2009. The Board finds that a higher rating for his service-connected radiculopathy of the left lower extremity is warranted.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's current degenerative changes of both left and right ankles are not related to service, as there is no clear evidence of a preexisting condition or aggravation during service. The claim for service connection was denied.
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