The Veteran's bilateral foot disorder, including pes planus, hammer toes and metatarsalgia, is remanded for further examination to determine if it was aggravated by service or related to an in-service injury.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner must address the service treatment records documenting pes planus and metatarsalgia, the Veteran's lay statements of continuity of symptomatology, and the June 2019 private DBQ indicating that metatarsalgia is secondary to pes planus.
- Claimed conditions
- pes planus, hammer toes, metatarsalgia
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 30, 2019
- Citation
- 19182353
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 denied increased ratings for the Veteran's back, right ring finger, and left foot hallux valgus disabilities but granted an initial 30 percent rating for pes planus from August 17, 2021, a 50 percent rating for pes planus from December 15, 2023, and a separate 10 percent rating for bilateral plantar fasciitis from August 17, 2021.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a left foot disability to correct a pre-decisional duty to assist error, specifically regarding an inadequate October 2024 VA examination.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for pes planus, bilateral degenerative changes of the feet, bilateral hammertoe deformity, bilateral foot ulcers, and onychomycosis as there was no evidence to support an increase in severity during active service.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal for service connection for metatarsalgia, tinea pedis, and GERD.
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