The Board has remanded the case due to missing VA treatment records and a need for an updated medical examination.
The deciding factor: Further development is required as there are outstanding VA treatment records from Fresno VAMC that have not been associated with the claims file, and a new examination is needed to assess the current severity of the Veteran's service-connected foot disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- status post infection with septicemia, right first metatarsal joint with degenerative arthritis, metatarsalgia of the right foot, hallux rigidus of the right foot, scar of the right foot
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 30, 2020
- Citation
- 20008002
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 20008002.
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 bilateral pes planus, metatarsalgia of both feet, plantar fasciitis of both feet, and neuropathy of both feet have been granted effective July 14, 2014. The Veteran also received a separate rating for hammertoes of the right foot (10%) and left foot (10%), as well as arthritis of the first MTP joint of the right and left foot (10%).
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a scar of the right foot and an evaluation of 10 percent, and no greater, effective September 14, 2022, for left knee instability. Other claims were denied or dismissed.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's preexisting right foot disorder did not worsen during service, and thus cannot be granted service connection for metatarsalgia of the right foot.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for further development regarding his right foot disability, specifically addressing whether he has metatarsalgia and hammertoes of the right foot that are related to his service-connected heloma durum. The case will be readjudicated based on this additional information.
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