The Board has remanded the case due to inconsistencies in the medical evidence regarding the presence of instability in the Veteran's right ankle. The VA will obtain additional evidence and provide an opportunity for a retrospective examination to address this issue.
The deciding factor: There is inconsistency between the findings on whether the Veteran had instability as a distinct disability from his limitation of motion.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Joint Disease of the Right Ankle
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 13, 2020
- Citation
- 20012314
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 20012314.
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.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's appeal with respect to PTSD, left ankle disability, and bilateral knee disability has been dismissed.,Service connection for tinnitus (reopened) and tension headaches have been granted. The case is remanded for further action on the remaining issues.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected right ankle disability is currently rated at 10 percent, but the Board finds that it does not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation due to lack of marked limitation of motion.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected right and left knee, ankle, and pes planus disabilities due to inadequate examination reports from previous VA examinations. The Veteran is also being asked to provide a separate compensable rating for his bilateral pes planus.
- Denied
The Veteran's initial disability ratings for his right knee, left knee, right ankle, and left ankle disabilities have been denied.,A total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) prior to October 5, 2020 has also been denied.
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