The Board has decided to remand the case for a VA medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's current disabilities are proximately caused by his May 2014 surgical procedure at a VA fee-contracted facility.
The deciding factor: The decision is based on the need for a VA medical opinion to determine if the Veteran’s current disabilities were proximately caused or aggravated by carelessness, negligence, lack of proper skill, error in judgment, or similar instance of fault on the part of the Salem VAMC.
- Claimed conditions
- left foot drop, low back condition with numbness of lower leg and foot, left side
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 13, 2020
- Citation
- 20025145
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 20025145.
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 compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for the Veteran's lumbar spine herniated disc, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and left foot drop due to a delay in VA providing timely neurosurgical care.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to issues related to a TDIU and an increased evaluation for left Achilles tendonitis. The Veteran's service-connected conditions have rendered her unable to work during certain periods, but further review is needed.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for right and left foot drop, granted service connection for a right shoulder strain, and denied service connection for TBI. The claim for TDIU was dismissed.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for left foot drop, finding that it was secondary to the Veteran's service-connected ischemic cerebrovascular accident (stroke) residuals.
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