The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence of current left ankle disability severity and to obtain updated VA and private medical records. The Veteran's left ankle condition is currently rated at 20 percent, but he claims it warrants a higher rating.
The deciding factor: The Veteran provided new lay statements and treatment records indicating his left ankle condition has worsened since the last examination, necessitating an additional evaluation to determine current severity.
- Claimed conditions
- left ankle instability, dropfoot
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 12, 2019
- Citation
- 19162217
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 19162217.
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 left ankle instability as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected left ankle disability and hypertension, but denied increased ratings for the left ankle disability and other forms of arthritis.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for a left ankle disability, finding that the current left ankle disability is etiologically related to the service-connected left foot plantar fasciitis.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 30 percent rating for left ankle osteoarthritis from June 25, 2021, and a separate 10 percent rating for left ankle instability.
- Granted
The Board granted an earlier effective date of February 5, 2010, for service connection for right and left ankle tendonitis and instability.
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