The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical evidence regarding whether the Veteran's current hammer toe condition is related to his active duty service. The claim will be returned for further evaluation.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner’s opinion was inadequate as it did not consider the Veteran's statements about in-service onset and continuity of symptoms since service.
- Claimed conditions
- hammer toe
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 9, 2019
- Citation
- 19192414
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 19192414.
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 granted service connection for several conditions, including OSA, cervical spine condition, left shoulder condition, right shoulder condition, and others, but dismissed appeals for obesity, TMJ, insomnia, left elbow, and right elbow. The Board also denied an earlier effective date for a 70% rating for acquired psychiatric disorder.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for initial compensable ratings for hallux valgus of both feet and hammer toe disabilities affecting toes 2 and 3 on each foot, finding that the evidence does not meet the criteria for a higher rating under VA's rating schedule.
- Granted
The Veteran's bilateral hammer toe with corns and hallux valgus have been granted increased ratings of 20 percent each, effective December 20, 2011.,Effective October 25, 2011, the Veteran is entitled to a noncompensable rating for his hallux valgus in both feet.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient explanations in the previous examination report regarding the Veteran's right foot disabilities and their relationship to service, including his contention that they were caused by running in military boots. The examiner is asked to provide a more detailed opinion on whether these conditions are related to active duty service or a service-connected condition.
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