The Board has determined that the VA examination conducted in April 2019 did not provide an adequate rationale regarding whether the Veteran's bilateral foot disability had its onset in service or is otherwise related to service. The Veteran was also not provided with a medical opinion addressing his allegations of right foot arthritis and bilateral heel spurs, which should be discussed by the examiner on remand.
The deciding factor: The VA examination did not provide an adequate rationale for the negative nexus opinions regarding the Veteran's bilateral foot disability and failed to consider the Veteran's lay statements and treatment records.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hallux valgus, right foot metatarsalgia, right foot arthritis, bilateral heel spur
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 22, 2020
- Citation
- A20015901
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 the veteran's claims for service connection, higher ratings, and earlier effective dates, as well as dismissed his claim for a TDIU.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an earlier effective date of August 15, 2022, for a 10 percent maximum initial rating for service-connected right foot metatarsalgia and granted service connection for right foot pes planus and left foot pes planus.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the cause of death, finding that a disability of service origin did not cause or contribute substantially to the Veteran's accidental death.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hallux valgus and left 2nd hammertoe, resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.
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