The Veteran's claim to reopen the previously denied pes planus was granted. The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received sufficient to reopen the claim of entitlement to service connection for pes planus. However, the claims for left ankle condition, degenerative arthritis of the left hip secondary to right ankle fracture, and right knee condition with degenerative joint disease are remanded due to insufficient medical opinions.
The deciding factor: The Board found that new evidence received since the last denial supports reopening the claim of service connection for pes planus. However, the claims for other conditions require additional medical opinions regarding their relationship to service-connected disabilities or aggravation thereof.
- Claimed conditions
- Pes Planus, Left Ankle Condition, Degenerative Arthritis of the Left Hip, Right Knee Condition with Degenerative Joint Disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 28, 2019
- Citation
- 19114608
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,287 · Granted: 23% (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 19114608.
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 claim for an increased rating for bilateral pes planus was denied as the evidence did not warrant a higher rating.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's right knee, left knee, right ankle, and left ankle conditions as secondary to his service-connected left hip replacement.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's current left ankle condition is not related to his service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.
- Granted
The Veteran's pes planus is rated at 30 percent, the highest rating available for unilateral pes planus.
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