The Board has remanded the claims for an increased rating for bilateral pes planus, an earlier effective date for service connection for bilateral pes planus, and a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU). The Veteran must be provided opportunity to submit a VA Form 9, Substantive Appeal to the Board regarding the increased rating claim. The earlier effective date and TDIU claims need to be adjudicated by the AOJ.
The deciding factor: The claims are remanded due to procedural issues including the lack of an opportunity for a hearing before the Board and the need to address the earlier effective date and TDIU claims.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral pes planus (flat feet)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 3, 2020
- Citation
- 20000319
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,669 · Granted: 23% (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 20000319.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claim for service connection for bilateral pes planus (flat feet) due to the need for a VA examination to determine if the Veteran's preexisting condition worsened during service.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral pes planus (flat feet) as there was no evidence of aggravation during service, and thus his pre-existing condition could not be considered aggravated by military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to an inadequate VA examination, and a new one must be conducted to determine if the Veteran's flat feet were aggravated by service.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of TBI was denied. The effective date remains at May 12, 2022.
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