The Board has remanded the claim of service connection for a left ankle disability due to inconsistencies in the January 2017 VA examination report. The Veteran needs an updated medical evaluation and opinion on whether his current diagnoses are related to his service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner's report contained inconsistencies, specifically regarding the diagnosis of left achilles tendonitis and chronic or recurrent left ankle sprain.
- Claimed conditions
- left ankle arthritis, left achilles tendonitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 10, 2018
- Citation
- 18141514
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 18141514.
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 Board denied service connection for various conditions, including prostate cancer and related disabilities, urinary incontinence, sleep apnea, hypertension, varicose veins, lumbar spine disability, hip arthritis, shoulder arthritis, ankle arthritis, knee strain, knee replacement, and hand arthritis. The only condition granted was a 10 percent rating for a fracture of the right proximal first metacarpal.
- Dismissed
The appeal for a rating higher than 10 percent for left achilles tendonitis was dismissed due to an impermissible concurrent election, and the claim for tinnitus was denied as there is no evidence of a disability picture outside the norm.
- Granted
The Board granted restoration of a 20 percent rating for left ankle arthritis effective January 1, 2025.
- Dismissed
The veteran's appeal was dismissed due to untimely filing of the Board Appeal request.
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