The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for left ankle strain and flexor hallucis longus tenosynovitis have been denied as there is no evidence of an informal claim prior to July 19, 2010.,The Veteran's claim to reopen his previously denied back disability has been granted. A VA examination is needed to determine the nature and etiology of any currently present cervical spine and lumbar spine disabilities.
The deciding factor: There was no informal claim prior to July 19, 2010 for left ankle strain or flexor hallucis longus tenosynovitis.,The evidence does not establish that the Veteran's currently present cervical spine and lumbar spine disabilities are related to his service.
- Claimed conditions
- left ankle strain, flexor hallucis longus tenosynovitis, degenerative disc disease, cervical spine, degenerative disc disease, lumbar spine, poor circulation, bilateral legs
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 5, 2018
- Citation
- 18131328
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 18131328.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's annual clothing allowance for a foot and ankle brace in the 2022 calendar year was denied because the evidence did not show that any such brace tended to wear out or tear his clothing.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for left ankle strain, finding that there is clear and unmistakable evidence that the condition preexisted active service and was not aggravated by service. The appeal is dismissed.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for left ankle strain, left knee strain, and bilateral hip strain due to a lack of etiology opinions in the record.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board is remanding the cases due to an incomplete record and a need for additional information regarding applications filed prior to March 9, 2020.
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