The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral foot osteoarthritis due to insufficient reasoning in the previous decision regarding the relationship between his current conditions and his service-connected left little toe fracture.
The deciding factor: The Court found that the Board erroneously relied on a January 2018 opinion considering the 'permanently worsening' aggravation standard for secondary service connection, as per Ward v. Wilkie (2019).
- Claimed conditions
- right foot osteoarthritis, left foot osteoarthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 17, 2020
- Citation
- 20004325
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,913 · Granted: 30% (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 20004325.
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 Board has granted service connection for a left 5th metatarsal fracture, as well as secondary service connection for left foot and ankle osteoarthritis to the same condition. The decision is based on evidence that supports these claims.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded due to pre-decisional duty-to-assist errors, including incomplete medical opinions and failure to obtain relevant records such as ROTC personnel records.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for left foot plantar fasciitis, hallux rigidus, and osteoarthritis as secondary to a service-connected bunionectomy. The conditions are all found to have onset during active service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete records and a need for further medical examination. The issues include right foot osteoarthritis, cervical spondylosis, thoracic spondylosis and lumbosacral region disability, left knee disability, right knee disability, left leg neuropathy, and right leg neuropathy.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.