The Board has decided to remand the cases for further examination and opinion regarding service connection for left foot hallux rigidus, with hammertoes; residuals of a right hip replacement with residual scar; and right knee degenerative joint disease with residual scar.
The deciding factor: The June 2019 examiner provided conflicting opinions on whether the Veteran's pre-existing conditions were aggravated by her service-connected right foot disability. The Board finds that remand is necessary to obtain an addendum opinion clarifying aggravation of the claimed disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- left foot hallux rigidus, left foot hammertoes, right hip replacement with residual scar, right knee degenerative joint disease with residual scar
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 3, 2019
- Citation
- A19003244
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,569 · Granted: 26% (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 A19003244.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for a disability rating in excess of 10 percent for service-connected left foot hallux rigidus was denied. The Board found the evidence did not support a higher rating due to moderate symptoms and no actual loss of use.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric condition (anxiety, depression, insomnia) is remanded as there is insufficient medical evidence to determine its etiology.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the Veteran's claim of service connection for left foot hallux rigidus due to non-compliance with claims processing regulations regarding the timeliness of the Notice of Disagreement (NOD).
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeal for an earlier effective date and denied a rating in excess of 10 percent for left great toe hallux valgus as there was no legal basis to consider these issues.
- Granted
The Veteran's tinnitus is found to be the result of noise exposure during active duty training. Service connection for left foot hammertoes and bilateral hearing loss is granted as well.
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