The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to the need for additional examinations and clarification of the nature and severity of the Veteran's service-connected ankle disabilities, including whether they represent ankylosis. The TDIU claim is also remanded as it is inextricably intertwined with the claims for increased ratings.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the May 2019 VA examination did not address the Veteran’s reports of neurological impairments due to his service-connected ankle disabilities and that a new examination is needed to determine whether any current ankle disability represents a neurological abnormality associated with the service-connected left and right ankle tendonitis with degenerative arthritis, as well as whether the nature and severity of his bilateral ankle disabilities are tantamount to ankylosis.
- Claimed conditions
- left ankle achilles tendonitis, right ankle achilles tendonitis with degenerative changes
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 28, 2020
- Citation
- 20049945
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 20049945.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty to assist error, requiring another VA examination for nerve conditions.
- Granted
The Veteran's left ankle disability was granted a 20% rating from July 30, 2012 to February 18, 2023. The claim for an increased rating beyond this period is denied.
- Partly granted
The Board denied increased ratings for the Veteran's low back and left ankle disabilities, granted a 20% rating for left lower extremity radiculopathy from April 14, 2023, to October 11, 2023, and granted an earlier effective date of January 14, 2016, for the grant of service connection for left lower extremity radiculopathy.
- Denied
The Board denied an earlier effective date for the awards of 10 percent ratings for right and left ankle achilles tendonitis, as it was not factually ascertainable that a 10 percent rating was warranted within one year prior to September 2, 2023.
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