The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine the etiology of the Veteran's right Achilles tendon disability and whether it is related to service or a service-connected condition.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner’s opinion was inadequate as it did not consider the Veteran's lay testimony regarding his in-service injury and its relationship to his current condition, nor did it properly address the aggravation standard for secondary service connection claims.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Achilles tendon disability
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 4, 2019
- Citation
- 19191113
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 19191113.
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 denied service connection for a left Achilles tendon rupture status post surgical repair and a right Achilles tendon disability, finding no evidence that either condition began during active service or is otherwise related to an in-service disease or injury.
- Granted
The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for PTSD and granted it, finding new and material evidence. The right Achilles tendon disability claim is denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a medical opinion on whether plantar fasciitis was aggravated by active duty training.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 30 percent rating for the Veteran's service-connected migraine headaches, but no greater.
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