The Board has determined that the Veteran's left ankle disorder claim should be remanded due to insufficient evidence regarding its etiology. The rating for his knee disabilities is also being remanded as there are no recent VA examinations addressing current functional impairment.
The deciding factor: The examination reports do not provide sufficient detail on the extent of flare-ups and their impact on range of motion, which is necessary to determine if there has been actual improvement in the Veteran's ability to function under ordinary conditions of life and work.
- Claimed conditions
- Left Achilles Tendon Rupture, Spur located dorsally at the neck of the talus proximal to the talonavicular joint
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- November 26, 2019
- Citation
- 19189508
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,772 · Granted: 37% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19189508.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's right knee instability and posttraumatic degeneration were granted a separate rating of 10 percent from July 23, 2015 to September 15, 2015. The Veteran's left Achilles tendon rupture was denied prior to June 1, 2021.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's left ankle disability, diagnosed as a left Achilles tendon rupture, was incurred during his period of INACDUTRA (inactive duty training) while on ordered physical training. The evidence supports this finding and service connection is granted.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected left Achilles tendon rupture did not meet or approximate the criteria for a disability rating in excess of 20 percent during the initial rating period from December 10, 2008.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied increased ratings for the veteran's right knee disability and left Achilles repair, finding that his conditions did not warrant a higher rating based on current clinical evidence.
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