The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection of a low back disability and remanded the issues of service connection for bilateral foot dermatitis, pes planus, plantar fasciitis, hallux valgus, arthritis, metatarsalgia, and Morton's neuroma. The claims are now pending before VA for further review.
The deciding factor: The Board found new and material evidence to reopen the claim of service connection for a low back disability but remanded all issues due to inadequate examination reports that did not consider the Veteran’s history of foot symptoms in service.
- Claimed conditions
- low back disability, bilateral foot dermatitis (including calluses and fungal infection), pes planus, plantar fasciitis, hallux valgus, arthritis, metatarsalgia, Morton's neuroma
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 21, 2019
- Citation
- 19164742
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 19164742.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the appeal to obtain a VA medical opinion that considers the Veteran's contentions of in-service training with heavy gear and equipment.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a medical opinion on whether plantar fasciitis was aggravated by active duty training.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for various disabilities to the AOJ for further development and consideration of evidence not previously considered.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the veteran's claimed conditions, including right shoulder arthritis, left shoulder arthritis, right hip condition, left hip condition, low back disability, and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, as there was no evidence of in-service injury or illness related to these conditions.
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