The Board has decided that the Veteran's left and right ankle tarsal tunnel syndromes are service-connected due to their relationship with his service-connected bilateral pes planus and ankle degenerative joint disease. The remaining issues of service connection for other conditions remain on appeal.
The deciding factor: Service connection granted based on secondary service connection criteria as the Veteran's tarsal tunnel syndromes are found to be related to his service-connected bilateral pes planus and ankle disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- left ankle tarsal tunnel syndrome, right ankle tarsal tunnel syndrome
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 8, 2020
- Citation
- A20018153
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,680 · Granted: 24% (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 A20018153.
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 tinnitus, cervical spine degenerative arthritis, thoracic strain, right upper extremity radiculopathy, right knee degenerative arthritis and chondromalacia patella, left knee degenerative arthritis and chondromalacia patella, left ankle ganglion cyst and ruptured saphenous vein, and left great toe matrixectomy with a left medial foot scar. The Board found that the Veteran's conditions are related to his military service.
- Dismissed
The appeals for service connection regarding right and left ankle tarsal tunnel syndrome were withdrawn by the appellant.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's headaches are at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected traumatic brain injury, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
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