The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to inadequacies in prior VA examinations and the need for updated evaluations.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the September 2017 VA examination was inadequate as it did not consider the favorable opinion from a May 2017 Board remand, nor the May 2008 VA medical opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran's foot conditions and his back disorders.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD) of the cervical spine, Bilateral pes planus, Degenerative disc disease and arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 17, 2019
- Citation
- 19171249
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 19171249.
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 has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral pes planus is not service-connected due to a duty-to-assist error, and remands the case for further examination and opinion.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for SMC(o) was denied as he could not receive multiple awards of SMC(l). The right shoulder bicipital tendonitis rating was denied, and the TDIU claim was granted.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral pes planus preexisted service and was aggravated by service, warranting a grant of service connection.
- Denied
The Veteran's bilateral pes planus with bilateral plantar fasciitis is rated at 50 percent disabling, which is the maximum schedular rating permitted for acquired flatfoot. The appeal is denied.
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