The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to uncertainty regarding whether the Veteran's pes planus is a congenital defect or disease. The Veteran was previously denied service connection for his bilateral foot disorder, but the issue was reopened and recharacterized on the merits.
The deciding factor: The Board cannot make a fully informed decision without an adequate rationale from the VA examiner regarding whether the pes planus is a congenital defect or disease.
- Claimed conditions
- pes planus, plantar fasciitis, heel spurs
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 21, 2020
- Citation
- 20035568
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 20035568.
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 bilateral plantar fasciitis, finding that the Veteran's pre-existing pes planus condition was aggravated by service. The effective date is August 15, 2025.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for athletes' foot, low back strain, and plantar fasciitis due to a lack of a VA examination prior to the August 2020 rating decision.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral plantar fasciitis with pes planus, finding that her current condition had its onset during active military service.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal of an earlier effective date for service connection for bilateral pes planus and plantar fasciitis has been dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his appeal prior to a decision being made.
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