The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the submission of new VA treatment notes and an examination report. The examiner needs to provide a more detailed opinion regarding the relationship between his service-connected left ankle disability and any current left foot disorders.
The deciding factor: New evidence has been submitted, including VA treatment notes and an examination report, which requires further review by the examiner.
- Claimed conditions
- left heel, multiple small hammertoes, small enthesophyte at the attachment of the Achilles and into the calcaneus, degenerative changes at first MTP joint, subchondral cyst at the head of the first metatarsal
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 2, 2020
- Citation
- 20022868
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 20022868.
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 a left foot and left heel disability, finding that the current conditions are not related to in-service events or injuries.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities, including right heel, left heel, right elbow, neck, right shoulder, and back disabilities. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions began during active service or were related to in-service injuries.
- Denied
The Veteran's bilateral heel disabilities were denied for initial ratings in excess of the currently assigned 10% and 20% ratings prior to October 30, 2019 and since that date respectively.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a right knee disability and denied service connection for left knee, back, left heel, left shoulder, and right rib fracture conditions. The effective date remains pending as the Veteran did not submit a formal application within one year of receiving an informal claim.
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