The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current bilateral hip disability, left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, right thumb disability, left ankle disability, or bilateral foot disability (plantar fasciitis) related to his service-connected knee disabilities.,Further development is needed to determine if any of these conditions are present and their etiology.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's claims for service connection for various foot and joint disabilities have been remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding the nature and etiology of his claimed conditions, as well as further development of his left knee disability claim.,Specifically, a VA examination is needed to determine if any current hip, ankle, or foot disabilities are present and their relationship to service-connected knee disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral hip disability, Left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, Right thumb disability, Left ankle disability, Bilateral foot disability (plantar fasciitis)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 14, 2020
- Citation
- 20002957
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 various conditions, including diabetes mellitus, type II, coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, hypertension, asthma/lung disease, vision disability, bilateral plantar fasciitis, leukocytosis, kidney disease/kidney stones, enlarged prostate, sleep apnea, rheumatoid arthritis, lumbar spine disability, right ankle disability, and left ankle disability.
- Denied
The Board denied various claims for increased ratings and earlier effective dates, with the exception of granting a 10 percent rating for right knee instability.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus type II, obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, peripheral neuropathy of both lower extremities, and left ear hearing loss. The veteran was granted a TDIU.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error regarding VA's obligation to obtain relevant records from the Social Security Administration.
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