The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral plantar fasciitis and whether it is proximately caused or aggravated by his service-connected metatarsalgia and hallux valgus.
The deciding factor: The October 2015 VA examiner did not provide sufficient rationale explaining why the Veteran’s service-connected metatarsalgia and hallux valgus disabilities are 'anatomically and functionally unrelated to plantar fasciitis' or address whether the bilateral plantar fasciitis is aggravated by his service-connected disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral plantar fasciitis, bilateral metatarsalgia, bilateral hallux valgus
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 21, 2019
- Citation
- 19188272
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 19188272.
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.
- Granted
The Board granted a separate rating of 10 percent for bilateral plantar fasciitis effective February 1, 2023.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral metatarsalgia as there is no evidence of a current disability.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an initial rating of 70 percent for the Veteran's service-connected depressive disorder due to another medical condition with depressive features and generalized anxiety disorder, denied a higher rating for his migraine including migraine variants, and denied ratings for other conditions.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including bilateral plantar fasciitis, chronic pain syndrome, sciatic radicular pain of both legs, traumatic brain injury (TBI), shin splints of both legs, thoracic spondylosis, right shoulder strain, right wrist strain, acne, and allergic rhinitis.
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