The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's preexisting bilateral flat foot disability worsened during his periods of active duty training (ACDUTRA). The issues are being remanded for VA examinations to provide opinions on the nature and etiology of the Veteran's right knee, left knee, right hip, lower back, left ankle, and right foot disorders.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there is insufficient evidence to determine whether the Veteran's preexisting bilateral flat foot disability worsened during his periods of ACDUTRA or if any other conditions are related to service.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral flat foot, right knee condition, left knee condition, left ankle spur (claimed as left ankle condition), right foot neuropraxia of the second and third interspace (claimed as a right foot condition), right hip condition, low back condition
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 29, 2019
- Citation
- 19132693
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,170 · Granted: 38% (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 19132693.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to their death during the pendency of the appeal.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a shoulder condition, bilateral knee condition, and right hip condition. The Veteran's claims were based on current diagnoses of these conditions but the evidence did not support an in-service injury or disease.,The Board also noted that there was no nexus between the current disabilities and service due to lack of in-service complaints or injuries.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection of his low back condition, finding that it is related to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to new evidence received, and a need for additional medical opinions considering the Veteran's military occupation as a water safety survival instructor.
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