The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for right shoulder, left foot bunion, and left foot great toe fracture are remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations to assess his disability levels accurately.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the current VA examinations did not adequately reflect the state of the Veteran’s overall disability picture with regards to his left foot conditions, particularly in light of his recent hearing testimony.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Shoulder Sternoclavicular Separation, SLAP Arthroscopic Repair with Scarring, Left Foot Bunion, Left Foot Great Toe Fracture
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 30, 2019
- Citation
- 19158747
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 19158747.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, lumbar spine disability, sciatic nerve radiculopathy, femoral nerve radiculopathy, hemorrhoids, left foot bunion, erectile dysfunction, and human papillomavirus, prevent him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment.
- Denied
The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings were denied. The right shoulder disability was rated as 20 percent disabling, and the left foot great toe fracture was not assigned a compensable rating.
- Granted
The Veteran's right and left foot bunions with posterior heel spurs and degenerative changes of the 1st MT joints have been rated at 20 percent, effective December 14, 2016.
- Granted
The veteran's initial claim for higher ratings for his right shoulder, right knee, left knee, left ankle, and hypertension disabilities was granted. The RO assigned a 20 percent rating for the right shoulder prior to August 22, 2007, and increased it to 30 percent effective that date. Ratings of 10 percent were assigned for his right knee, left knee, and left ankle disabilities since August 9, 2007.
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