The Board has decided to remand the case due to an inadequate medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's right ankle disability. The Veteran is seeking service connection for a right ankle injury that occurred during her military service.
The deciding factor: The previous VA examination was not adequate as it did not consider the Veteran’s lay statements and did not account for the lack of documented post-service medical treatment due to cost concerns.
- Claimed conditions
- lateral collateral ligament sprain, right ankle
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 23, 2019
- Citation
- 19156820
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 19156820.
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 appeals for earlier effective dates for the specified conditions were dismissed due to untimely filing of the VA Form 10182.
- Granted
The Board granted earlier effective dates of October 25, 2021, for the Veteran's service connection claims for plantar fasciitis and pes planus, bilateral; left knee strain with patellofemoral pain syndrome and tendinitis; trochanteric pain syndrome, left hip; trochanteric pain syndrome, right hip; lateral collateral ligament sprain, left ankle; and lateral collateral ligament sprain, right ankle.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for lateral collateral ligament sprain of both ankles as the evidence did not support a relationship between the current disabilities and the Veteran's active duty service.
- Denied
The Board denied earlier effective dates for the grants of service connection for a bilateral ankle and foot disability, finding that the evidence did not warrant reconsideration under 38 C.F.R. § 3.156(c) and that an earlier effective date was otherwise not warranted.
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