The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the Veteran's claims for service connection for left ankle condition, TBI, migraines, neck condition, back condition, and nerve condition. The claims are granted in part. However, due to conflicting medical opinions regarding the etiology of the left ankle condition, a remand is necessary to obtain an addendum opinion from a suitable clinician.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner's opinion on the left ankle condition was not based on complete details of the Veteran’s post-service injury and does not address the Veteran's lay contentions regarding his symptoms since service. An addendum opinion is needed to reconcile these issues.
- Claimed conditions
- left achilles tendonitis, achilles tendon rupture (left ankle condition), traumatic brain injury (TBI), migraines, cervical spondylosis and bulging neck disc (neck condition), back condition, nerve condition
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 1, 2020
- Citation
- 20037121
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 20037121.
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 Veteran's claim for service connection for migraines was reopened due to new evidence. Service connection is granted for painful scars, but the rating assigned remains at 10 percent. The claims for fibromyalgia and bilateral shoulder disability are denied.
- 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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a back condition, including degenerative disc disease and scoliosis, due to lack of current disability evidence.
- Dismissed
The appeal concerning the service connection claims for various conditions and initial compensable evaluations for service-connected erectile dysfunction and bilateral hearing loss is dismissed due to the Veteran's death.
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