The Board has remanded the case due to deficiencies in the November 2018 VA examination, and an addendum opinion is needed regarding the severity, frequency, and duration of any flare-ups, and the degree of functional loss during flare-ups with respect to the Veteran's right ankle disability.
The deciding factor: The examiner was unable to provide specific measurements or opinions regarding the Veteran’s right ankle disability due to a lack of information in the record.
- Claimed conditions
- right ankle arthritis, residuals of right ankle sprain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 16, 2019
- Citation
- 19128992
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 Board denied service connection for various conditions, including prostate cancer and related disabilities, urinary incontinence, sleep apnea, hypertension, varicose veins, lumbar spine disability, hip arthritis, shoulder arthritis, ankle arthritis, knee strain, knee replacement, and hand arthritis. The only condition granted was a 10 percent rating for a fracture of the right proximal first metacarpal.
- Dismissed
The appeal as to the proposed rating reduction of right ankle arthritis was dismissed, and an initial disability rating higher than 10% for right ankle scar was denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for further development, specifically to obtain relevant Social Security Administration records.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for right foot arthritis and an earlier effective date of January 3, 2017, for a psychiatric disability rating, but denied service connection for left ankle disorder, right ankle arthritis (secondary to PTSD), increased rating for psychiatric disability, TDIU, and obstructive sleep apnea.
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