The Board has remanded the case for an additional VA examination to assess the severity and manifestations of the Veteran's service-connected degenerative joint disease of the right ankle, residuals of right ankle fracture.
The deciding factor: The February 2017 VA examination was deemed inadequate due to insufficient testing and lack of explanation regarding functional loss over time and joint testing requirements.
- Claimed conditions
- degenerative joint disease of the right ankle, residuals of right ankle fracture
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 7, 2018
- Citation
- 18148292
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 18148292.
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 granted service connection for multiple disabilities, including various musculoskeletal conditions and mental health disorders.
- Partly granted
The Board denied increased ratings for generalized seizure disorder, chronic sinusitis, deviated nasal septum, and scars, but granted increased ratings of 20 percent for degenerative joint disease in the left and right ankles.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him permanently bedridden or unable to care for his daily needs without requiring the regular aid and attendance of another person. He is not substantially confined to his house due to service-connected disabilities, nor does he have a single service-connected disability ratable at 100 percent along with other unrelated disabilities that combine to at least 60 percent.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of degenerative joint disease of the right ankle was denied.,The Veteran's claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for lower lip numbness, left cranial nerve V (previously claimed as lower lip numbness (nerve damage)) is remanded due to a duty to assist error.
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