The Veteran's claim for an increased evaluation of their service-connected left Achilles tendon rupture and degenerative arthritis is remanded due to the need for additional medical records and a VA examination.
The deciding factor: The Veteran reported worsening symptoms, but there are no recent treatment records or updated examinations to assess current disability level.
- Claimed conditions
- left Achilles tendon rupture, left ankle degenerative arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 31, 2019
- Citation
- 19197152
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,874 · Granted: 33% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted 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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 19197152.
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 Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevented him from engaging in gainful employment as of January 1, 2019. The Board granted a TDIU effective from that date.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for a rating in excess of 10 percent for left ankle degenerative arthritis has been dismissed.,Service connection for the right shoulder condition is granted, and new evidence supports readjudicating the claim for residuals of CAPSO.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, TBI, and vertigo, have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the claims for left ankle degenerative arthritis, left foot degenerative arthritis, and left foot post-surgical scar due to an error in failing to provide notice of the right to a hearing on a supplemental claim.
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