The Veteran's claims of increased ratings for his bilateral flat feet and right foot metatarsalgia, DDD of the thoracolumbar spine, and right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome are remanded due to lack of recent VA examinations. The TDIU claim is also remanded as it is inextricably intertwined with these increased rating claims.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's symptoms have worsened since his last VA examination, necessitating a new examination for each condition to assess the current severity.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral flat feet, right foot metatarsalgia, degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the thoracolumbar spine, right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 18, 2019
- Citation
- 19195217
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 19195217.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for service connection were dismissed due to untimely filing of the Board Appeal requests.
- Granted
The Board granted a 30 percent rating for right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome, right knee instability, and separate 40 percent rating for right knee limitation of extension prior to July 27, 2019.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 40 percent rating for lumbosacral strain and denied or remanded the other issues on appeal.
- Dismissed
The veteran withdrew all pending appeals on April 28, 2025.
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