The Veteran's appeal for service connection for neuropathy of the left and right foot is remanded due to insufficient medical opinion. The eligibility for automobile benefits claim is also remanded as it could impact the service connection decision.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not provide a clear rationale for their conclusions regarding whether the Veteran’s current neurological disabilities are proximately due or aggravated by his service-connected conditions, specifically ankle surgeries and tarsal tunnel syndrome.
- Claimed conditions
- neuropathy, left foot, neuropathy, right foot
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 7, 2019
- Citation
- 19184438
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,188 · 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 19184438.
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.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for migraine headaches, right hand and arm tremors, restless leg syndrome (both left and right legs), neuropathy of the right foot, and neuropathy of the left foot, all related to exposure at Camp Lejeune. The VA medical opinions found no link between these conditions and the Veteran's service.
- Partly granted
The veteran's claims for tinnitus, high cholesterol, and hypertension were dismissed because the veteran withdrew them. The claim for neuropathy in the left foot was remanded for further examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded due to a duty to assist error in failing to obtain his complete service treatment records and conflicting information regarding his social security number and date of birth. The issues will be reconsidered after these matters have been addressed.
- Denied
The Veteran's service connection claims for right knee arthritis, back condition, and bilateral foot neuropathy as secondary to mild osteoarthritis of the lumbar spine have been denied. The Board found that there is no direct link between the current conditions and active duty service.
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