The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral knee condition, left foot hallux valgus status post bunionectomy, and right foot hallux valgus due to incomplete treatment records and lack of transportation for VA examinations.
The deciding factor: Incomplete medical records and lack of transportation prevented proper evaluation and examination of the Veteran's conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral knee degenerative joint disease, hallux valgus of the left foot status post bunionectomy, hallux valgus of the right foot
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 18, 2019
- Citation
- 19179644
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,456 · Granted: 23% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19179644.
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 remanded the claims for service connection and rating issues due to outstanding VA and private treatment records not being obtained prior to adjudication.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including obstructive sleep apnea and multiple musculoskeletal conditions, rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment. His TDIU is granted, but his special monthly compensation at the housebound rate is denied due to the presence of additional service-connected disabilities.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an initial rating of 10 percent for hallux valgus of the right and left foot, effective November 30, 2004. The claim for a higher rating for left lower extremity radiculopathy was denied.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for hallux valgus of the right foot as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected bilateral plantar fasciitis and left plantar fascia release. The claims for increased ratings for painful surgical scar, left ankle s/p tarsal tunnel and partial plantar fascia release, and bilateral plantar fasciitis and left plantar fascia release were remanded.
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