The Board has remanded the claim for service connection for a bilateral foot disorder, to include flat feet, due to insufficient rationale in the VA medical opinion and failure to consider lay statements regarding in-service symptoms.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not provide sufficient rationale and improperly based the opinion solely on the lack of objective evidence or documentation of in-service symptoms or treatment.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral foot disorder, flat feet
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 18, 2019
- Citation
- 19147697
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for tinea pedis of the left foot and remanded claims for a bilateral foot disorder, cervical disorder, left shoulder disorder, lumbosacral disorder, right shoulder disorder, right knee disorder, left knee disorder, and eardrum disorder.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for flat feet and leg pain as secondary to flat feet was dismissed due to an impermissible concurrent election of administrative review options. The initial rating in excess of 10 percent for GERD with hiatal hernia and Barrett's esophagus was denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for a neck disorder, hair loss, PTSD, bilateral foot disorder, bilateral arm numbness, and restless body syndrome due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issues of service connection for a bilateral foot disorder, an acquired psychiatric disorder, a skin disorder, and a sleep disorder, as well as an evaluation in excess of 10 percent for cystitis, due to the need for further development.
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