The Veteran's claims for increased ratings of his service-connected left and right ankle disabilities have been denied. The Board has also remanded the Veteran’s claim seeking service connection for a bilateral foot disability, to include arthritis, bone spurs, and neuromas, as well as his claim for entitlement to TDIU.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not support higher ratings for the Veteran's ankle disabilities or establish that he is entitled to service connection for his claimed bilateral foot conditions. The claims for TDIU are also remanded due to pending evidentiary development related to the other issues.
- Claimed conditions
- left ankle disability, right ankle disability, bilateral foot disability (including arthritis, bone spurs, and neuromas)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 28, 2020
- Citation
- 20007236
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 multiple conditions, including bilateral hearing loss and various musculoskeletal issues, as well as an initial rating in excess of 0 percent for rhinitis. However, the Board granted a 70 percent rating for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for various disabilities to the AOJ for further development and consideration of evidence not previously considered.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection, increased ratings, and earlier effective dates as there was no evidence to support a causal relationship between his current conditions and his active military service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for right ankle, left ankle, back disability, and other conditions as there is no evidence of a current disability related to the Veteran's military service.
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