The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to new and relevant evidence submitted after the October 2018 rating decision. The issues of service connection for left foot condition, right foot condition, low back pain, radiculopathy of the lower extremities, and left ankle are all being remanded as there were duty-to-assist errors prior to the October 2018 rating decision.
The deciding factor: The Board found that new evidence was submitted after the October 2018 rating decision warranting readjudication of the claims for service connection. The duty-to-assist errors in obtaining medical opinions and examination reports are noted as reasons for remanding these issues.
- Claimed conditions
- left foot condition (pes planus also claimed as flat feet), right foot condition (pes planus, also claimed as flat feet), low back pain, radiculopathy left lower extremity as secondary to low back pain, radiculopathy right lower extremity as secondary to low back pain, left ankle
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 12, 2019
- Citation
- A19000847
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,861 · Granted: 27% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 A19000847.
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 claim for service connection of a low back disability was reopened due to the submission of new and material evidence. The claim is denied as there is no evidence that the current condition is related to service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for heart disease, hypertension, kidney disease, and low back pain due to potential errors in duty to assist. The AOJ is required to verify the Veteran's alleged exposure to herbicide agents and obtain private treatment records.
- Denied
The Veteran's service connection claims for left ankle, right ankle, right hand, and left hand conditions are denied.,The Veteran's service connection claim for right hip condition is denied.,The Veteran's service connection claim for left hip condition is denied.,The Veteran's service connection claim for left wrist condition is denied.,The Veteran's service connection claim for right wrist condition is denied.
- Granted
The Veteran's left ankle disability is granted service connection, and he receives a 10% rating for his right and left knee disabilities based on limitation of motion. Separate 20% ratings are assigned for instability in both knees.
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