The Veteran's bilateral ankle sprains have been granted service connection.,The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder has been reopened for further review due to new evidence.
The deciding factor: New evidence related to previously unestablished elements of the claim, including obesity as a substantial factor in causing the Veteran's right and left ankle strains.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Ankle Sprains, Acquired Psychiatric Disorder (PTSD, Panic Disorder with Agoraphobia, Anxiety Disorder not otherwise specified, and Major Depressive Disorder)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 14, 2018
- Citation
- 18158210
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 18158210.
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 PTSD, left knee disability, right knee disability, right hand and finger disability, bilateral ankle sprains, and bilateral elbow disability are not service-connected. The VA examiner found no evidence of these conditions in service or related to service.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's headaches are at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected traumatic brain injury, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Granted
The Veteran's major depressive disorder is found to be caused by his service-connected low back and radiculopathy disabilities, which prevent him from doing enjoyable activities and daily living tasks.
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