The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected degenerative joint disease of the right ankle and surgical scar of the right ankle are being remanded due to incomplete examination reports. The VA will schedule examinations to determine current symptoms, level of severity, and functional impairment associated with these conditions.
The deciding factor: Incomplete medical evidence in the form of missing examination reports prevents a determination on the Veteran's claims for increased ratings.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Joint Disease of the Right Ankle, Surgical Scar of the Right Ankle
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 19, 2019
- Citation
- 19172904
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 19172904.
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 Veteran's appeal with respect to PTSD, left ankle disability, and bilateral knee disability has been dismissed.,Service connection for tinnitus (reopened) and tension headaches have been granted. The case is remanded for further action on the remaining issues.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected right ankle disability is currently rated at 10 percent, but the Board finds that it does not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation due to lack of marked limitation of motion.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected right and left knee, ankle, and pes planus disabilities due to inadequate examination reports from previous VA examinations. The Veteran is also being asked to provide a separate compensable rating for his bilateral pes planus.
- Denied
The Veteran's initial disability ratings for his right knee, left knee, right ankle, and left ankle disabilities have been denied.,A total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) prior to October 5, 2020 has also been denied.
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